Happiness for H: The Beginning
by braillebaby
Summary: This is the beginning of the Horatio and Emily saga. Horatio has been going through the motions of living, not quite admitting that he is ready to move on to another relationship with a woman after the loss of Marisol.
1. Chapter 1

5

**Chapter 1 – Introductions**

It was Saturday morning. Horatio took his glass of juice and went out on his deck, lost in thought as he let the sound of the ocean waves wash over him. The cool ocean breeze tousled his red hair, the ginger highlights glinting in the morning sun.

It would be a beautiful morning for a run on the beach, he thought. Technically, he didn't have to go into the office today – it was his day off. He used to go running every chance he got, then as life became more complicated, as his schedule allowed. He enjoyed the smell of the ocean, the sound of the sea gulls wheeling overhead, and the wonderful feeling a good run brings to the body and mind. Lately, he couldn't seem to garner the enthusiasm for it. He sighed and turned to go back inside, sad thoughts crowding out the chance of enjoying the coming day.

Leaving his glass in the sink, he made his way through the house, figuring he may as well go into the office to try and work at depleting the pile of paperwork that seemed to have made a permanent home on his desk. Wandering into the bedroom, he spotted his running shoes in the corner, mocking him. What would it hurt, he thought to himself, pausing.

Fifteen minutes later he was locking the door and heading down the sandy path that led to the beach from his backyard. He stopped just beyond the tall grasses that formed the barrier between the beach and homeowners' property. Slowly he began to stretch his muscles, his calves and thighs making it known to him that it had been a while since his last workout. Taking a deep breath, he slipped on his sunglasses and loped off down the beach, easily finding a comfortable stride as he concentrated on his breathing, feeling the warmth of the morning sun on his face.

Just a mile away, Emily wandered out onto her balcony, sipping her first cup of coffee of the day. She watched idly as the sea gulls soared over the ocean and sand, their cries being carried to her on the ocean wind. They reminded her of the gulls at home, soaring out over the lake. She sighed as thoughts of home intruded on the warm morning and she took another sip of coffee. The beach beckoned her – Jean had mentioned that Emily could go running every day if she felt like it.

'Just think, Em, you could go out your door and be at the beach. You could run in your swimsuit if you wanted. Now, doesn't that sound better than wearing layers of fleece and thinsulate?' Laughingly, Emily had agreed. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

'Maybe a good run is what I need to get out of this funk,' she thought. She wasn't due for her shift at the **Book 'n Bean** until noon. It was barely 7:00 am and, being a night person, she was rarely functional before 10:00 am. Perhaps this is a sign, she thought. Her mind made up, Emily turned and went back into her apartment, exchanging her coffee cup for a bottle of water and heading into the bedroom to find her favorite running gear.

Fifteen minutes later, she was locking the door to her apartment, bottle of water in one hand, her blue baseball cap with the TC logo in the other. She used the low wall around the apartment complex to do some stretches, her calves protesting at the inactivity of the last month. Soon, she was slipping her long, dark gold ponytail through the hole in the back of her baseball cap and she set off down the sidewalk to the beach access behind her building.

Horatio had been running for twenty minutes, slowly working out the kinks with every stride. He decided on a route down the beach to the public access walkway, a quick turn around the small lake in the adjoining park, then back to the beach and the return trip home. He had to admit, it felt good to be out in the morning air and so far he'd managed to keep the demons that darkened his waking hours at bay by concentrating on his breathing as he loped along. The beach was fairly empty this early, and except for the shore birds running up to the waves and then quickly backing up again, he had the beach to himself….almost.

Emily reached the beach and took a quick look left and right. "Hmmm…" she thought, "which way to go." Not seeing an advantage one way or the other she set off to her left, quickly adjusting her stride to an easy jog. She didn't really have a route in mind and decided to let the powers that be guide her. Miami seemed far away from the frozen world she left behind just one short month ago. She had to admit, it was invigorating to be out in the morning air, but she missed her four-legged running companion that always accompanied her on her runs back home. She was so engrossed in her thoughts of her beloved pet that she didn't see the man heading towards her….until it was too late.

Horatio had noticed the woman running towards him. She was moving at a steady pace, another lone runner out for a morning workout, her path leading her directly toward him. He couldn't see her face, it was shadowed by the baseball cap she wore, but her lightly tanned legs were long. Assuming she would move off to one side, he jogged on…

Emily was watching the ground in front of her, unaccustomed to the sand as a running surface, watching for any holes or soft spots, while her thoughts were far away from Miami. The next thing she knew, she heard a voice shout,

"Watch out!" and looked up to see that it was too late to move out of his way – a collision seemed imminent. She got a quick glimpse of wind tossed red hair, a lean but muscular 6 foot plus frame and sunglasses. Later, explaining the whole incident to Jean, she still wasn't sure how it all happened.

Horatio could see what was going to happen, but he couldn't prevent it. They were both moving too fast and despite his warning, they went down in a tangle of arms and legs. His sunglasses flew off his face and her baseball cap was knocked off her head. The breath was knocked out of her and she could only lie there on the sand, looking into a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. She couldn't quite focus on what he was saying, her mind still trying to take in the fact that she had actually run into this man. Or did he run into her? Either way he seemed familiar to her in some way.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" Horatio didn't know if he should be irritated that this woman ran into him or if he should be amused. She did seem to have the wind knocked out of her and as he leaned over her, he saw that she was a bit older, early thirties perhaps. She had long golden lashes that framed beautiful hazel eyes, which seemed a bit dazed at the moment. Her running ensemble, navy blue knit shorts and oversized white t-shirt claiming Property of the Minnesota Twins, led him to believe she was not a native Miamian.

"Ma'am are you okay?" he asked again, leaning over her. Emily nodded.

"I think so." She couldn't break her gaze from those eyes. Blue like the ocean she thought, hazily. She could willingly drown in them… And his voice, soft-spoken and sexy, she was beginning to wonder if she had fallen down a rabbit hole.

"Can you sit up?" His voice brought her back to reality.

She propped herself up on her elbows and slowly pulled herself into a sitting position. He was kneeling in the sand, so they were eye level with each other. She noticed he was wearing navy sweats and a grey t-shirt with MDPD emblazoned on the front.

"Thank you." Emily began brushing the sand off her knees, arms, nervous energy taking over as she felt herself beginning to blush under his gaze. "Did I just run into a police officer? Am I going to get a ticket?" she wondered and then realized much to her chagrin that she had said it aloud. And, judging by the grin on his rather handsome face, he heard it as well. She liked the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. "Maybe I have a concussion?" she asked hopefully, trying unsuccessfully to conquer the blush rising to her hairline.

"I don't think you do," Horatio said gently, "but why don't you answer a few questions for me." She nodded slowly.

"What's your name?"

"Emily Saunders, my…my friends call me Em."

Horatio nodded and said, "Good… Ok, where do you live?"

"Just over that way, The Beach Apartment Complex." She looked at him from under lowered lashes and said, "Am I supposed to be telling you this? How do I know you're _really_ a police officer?"

Horatio smiled and said, "Fair enough. I am Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Miami-Dade Crime Lab, Emily. I wasn't planning on being on duty, so I left my badge at home. You'll have to come over to the lab to see for yourself."

Emily's eyes widened and her hand came up to her mouth. "That's why you look familiar, I have seen you before – on television." TV certainly didn't do justice to those blue eyes, she thought, but then he was usually wearing his signature sunglasses – which had gone flying when she crashed into him.

"The one and the same," Horatio smiled.

"Oh, you're hurt." She exclaimed, seeing a small bit of blood beneath his left eye where his sunglasses had cut him before disappearing off into the sand.

Horatio gingerly tested the area of below his eye, where she had pointed. He thought he'd felt a sting. "No worries," he said easily. "Now, let's get you standing up."

He stood up first, then held out his hand to help pull her to her feet. When their fingers touched, she felt a tingle run up her arm. He felt it too, judging by his sharply indrawn breath.

"Er, thank you. Nothing seems to be broken or anything…" she trailed off as she wiggled her fingers and stretched her legs. Horatio was watching her, his head tilted to one side, she wasn't sure if he was trying to keep the sun out of his eyes, or studying her to assess her capabilities of finding her own way home.

Horatio was unprepared for the jolt that ran up his arm at the touch of her fingers. He hadn't felt that for a long while. His mind was telling him to turn around and run, not jog, back down the beach, yet his body didn't seem to want to obey. He found himself offering to help her get home. Just in case she was concussed he reminded himself.

"I'll be fine really," Emily said nervously. This man must think she was a complete idiot.

"No, I was planning on going that way anyway," he added in a tone that pretty much told her there was no arguing about it.

"Okay, but I need a minute to stretch out again," Emily said as she bent over and tried touching the sand, taking a few deep breaths to calm her jangling nerves. She peeped up at him under lowered lashes as he looked around for his sunglasses, finding them, rather worse for wear, off to the side.

She stood up abruptly. "I hope that wasn't a lucky pair or anything" Emily said looking at the mangled metal rims in his hands, twisting her water bottle in her fingers nervously.

"I have others," Horatio told her, "Ready?" he added.

"All set."

"Good, let's go." And they headed off down the beach, from the direction Emily had come just a short time ago.

Horatio was prepared to adjust his stride to accommodate hers, and was surprised to discover that she was keeping up with him without a problem. Emily slowly began to relax as they jogged along, the natural rhythm of putting one foot in front of the other calming her nerves. As they turned onto the public access path, Horatio mentioned his planned route around the small lake. "Are you up for that," he asked grinning. "After all, I imagine our collision cut your run short?"

"You bet." Emily smirked at him. She was bound and determined to show the Lieutenant that she was capable and in as good shape as he appeared to be. They jogged along in comfortable silence, every now and then he would point out something interesting as they entered the park and started around the lake. There were more people out now and several heads turned in their direction as they jogged by. Emily didn't notice. She was really enjoying herself. Too soon it seemed, they had gone around the lake and were back to her apartment complex.

They both slowed to a walk as they approached the building with her apartment. She pointed out her balcony on the second floor. "I'm just up there." When they stopped at the steps, Emily turned to him, "I'm sorry about running into you and mangling your sunglasses." Slowly she began to do a few cool down stretches as she watched him. "I usually have a running companion with me when I'm home. He keeps me from running in front of the odd moose or deer, in case I get too lost in my thoughts." She tried for a light tone, a bit nervous at the intense look he was giving her.

Ah, so the truth comes out, he thought. For some reason, the thought of someone else sharing her company on a run made him feel….jealous? He pushed the thought away.

"Do you run every Saturday?" Horatio asked her.

"No," she shook her head. "This is the first time I've been out since I've been in Miami. I love running, but I have trouble with motivation." She admitted. Horatio smiled, he was getting an idea.

"What do you say, we run together on Saturday mornings?"

"So we avoid anymore collisions?" she joked, but Emily found her heart racing at his suggestion.

"Well, my job is to keep the public safe," he said lightly, not sure by her reaction if she would go for his suggestion. "I really would enjoy having some company," he added softly. Emily felt her knees go weak.

"So would I," she answered simply.

"Great! See you on the beach at the access next week, 7:00-ish?" He grinned at her, hoping he didn't sound too eager that she accepted his suggestion.

"Sounds good to me." She hoped he didn't notice that she suddenly seemed out of breath.

Horatio watched her go up the stairs and enter her apartment. Emily turned to wave at him before shutting the door. He waved and set off toward the beach, the sun glinting off his hair.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – **Monday, Monday**

Horatio returned home without further incident, but found his thoughts wandering back to Emily. He'd gathered she was fairly new to the area, and apparently was someone who could become so engrossed in her thoughts that she managed to tune out the world around her. More that anything he was confused about his reaction to her touch as well as the sharp pain he'd felt when she'd mentioned her male running companion. Blinking his eyes as if to clear the morning's incident from his mind, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went out on the deck to relax and decide on a course of action for the rest of the day.

Emily dropped her keys on the table by the door. She missed the pitter patter sound of 4 paws tripping down the hall to come see her when she arrived home. The apartment always seemed so empty. She went to the fridge to exchange her warm bottle of water for a cold one. Uncapping it, she sipped on it as she jotted down 7:00 am on next Saturday's square on her calendar. The clock on the wall told her she had a couple hours to work on her braille assignment before getting ready to leave for her shift at the **Book 'n Bean**. Maybe the concentration she needed for her new assignment would push thoughts of a certain red-haired man from her mind.

For the first time in months, Horatio stayed out of the office the entire weekend. He had decided to call Yelina and find out if she and Ray Jr. had plans. He hadn't seen his nephew for weeks and tried to keep in touch with the young man on a regular basis. Ray Jr. and Yelina were family and whatever problems he and his sister-in-law had had in the past, Horatio felt that in the end family was what mattered the most. That reminded him he hadn't stopped by the cemetery as was his usual Saturday ritual. He felt a twinge of guilt that he hadn't thought about Marisol until now.

Emily entered the shop promptly at noon, stopping inside the door to savor the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the coolness of the air conditioning. Her friend and owner of **Book 'n Bean**, Jean, was seated on a stool behind the square counter that was placed in the middle of the store. She looked up at her friend and smiled.

"Hi, Em. You look a little out of breath. Running a little behind today?"

Emily smiled at her friend, "You have no idea, Jean." She headed to the back of the store to lock up her bag and find her name tag.

"Okay Em, get your coffee and explain. You have that look just like you used to get after you had spent an hour with Dr. Schiffer."

Emily realized any chance of keeping her encounter with Horatio from her friend was pretty much nil, Jean was too perceptive and knew her too well. Perching on a stool next to Jean at the counter, Emily took a deep sip of fresh coffee and related the morning's events. Jean was completely silent as Emily related what had transpired on the beach and the subsequent escort home. By the time she had finished, Jean was speechless, not something that happened often.

"Let me get this straight Emily. You RAN into Lieutenant Horatio Caine?" she asked with a grin.

"Well, not on purpose," Emily said defensively. "It's not like I planned on it. And he could have moved out of my way, since he was paying attention," she finished, inwardly groaning at the look on her friend's face.

"And you don't think it was … odd … that he made sure you found your way home AND asked you to finish his run with him AND invited you to go running with him on Saturday?" Jean asked innocently.

"Oh no, Jean Tess-Anderson, don't you play psychologist with me. He was just being nice and he seems like he takes the whole "protect and serve" thing very seriously." Emily looked away from her friend, knowing she was blushing. "Besides, do you really think he'll be there next Saturday?"

"I'll bet you a tall latte he will," Jean said smugly.

"You're on." And the subject was dropped as a gentlemen approached the counter with a question about a collection of stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

"Your department Em," Jean smiled and watched as her friend walked away toward the classics section deep in conversation with the white haired gentleman.

_Monday morning – 8:00 a.m._

Horatio parked in his usual spot at the Miami Dade Crime Lab and headed toward the building. Though he was impeccably dressed as usual, he was without his ever-present sunglasses. Horatio hadn't as yet had time to go out and get another pair. He had managed to lose his back-up pair over the side of the boat when he and Ray Jr. went fishing on Sunday.

Once inside, Horatio swung by the reception desk, receiving his messages from Nancy, who had them ready to hand to him as he went by. She watched her boss as he went down the hall to his office. Rumor had it that he hadn't been into the office all weekend and if she didn't know better, he looked like he had a sunburn. She would have to find out what Calleigh knew about it.

Making a quick swing through to the break room for a cup of coffee, Horatio encountered his CSI team. Calleigh Duquesne, Eric Delko and Ryan Wolfe were already there, sipping on their various beverages of choice as they discussed the weekend. He listened to their good-natured banter for a moment, then when there was a break in the conversation, he said,

"Monday morning meeting, my office, 9:00, people." Their good mornings following him down the hall, he arrived at his office and sat down, sorting through his messages and calling Frank Tripp, a detective friend on the MDPD, asking him if he could make it in for the meeting at 9:00. It appeared that a situation was brewing.

"See you then." Frank's gruff voice said before he clicked off.

Promptly at 9:00, the CSI's were assembled in Horatio's office, Frank slipping in at the last minute. Horatio quickly explained that he had several reports of robberies in a small, exclusive shopping district near the beach. So far, no one had been hurt, but the robberies were escalating and it seemed only a matter of time before someone was hurt or worse. Since Frank had been involved in gathering information on several of the robberies, Horatio asked him to fill the team in regarding what was known so far.

"Okay, H," Eric said when Frank had finished. "Where do you want us to start? The crime scenes have obviously been compromised by now, what do you expect we'll find?"

"I don't know Eric, but I want you and Calleigh to go over to the jewelry store that was robbed on Sunday. The owner closed the store after the break-in and Frank sealed the place off. Weekend shift was busy with a double drowning at one of the hotels by the beach. Spring breakers and all that. Let me know what you find out there." Eric watched as his boss picked up a piece of paper, set it down again, picked it up again, put it down again. 'I wonder if he's going OCD?' Eric thought nervously. He tried to catch Calleigh's eye to see if she noticed.

"Ryan," Horatio put down the paper and got up from his desk, going around to sit on the corner, "I need you to go to the computer lab, get all the information you can regarding these robberies and see what you can find. Frank is willing to act as liaison if you need something from one of the other detectives working the cases."

He stood up, "Okay, any questions?"

A murmur of no's answered him and they filed out, Calleigh being the last to leave. She looked at her boss, who had gone back to sit behind his desk, fiddling with a pencil in his fingers. "Horatio, did you have a good weekend?" she asked him, her green eyes studying his face.

"Yes, I did, actually." She noticed he seemed surprised when he answered her.

_Monday morning - 10:30 a.m._

Emily's alarm was ringing again. She'd been hitting the snooze since it first went off at 10:00. She realized she would have to get up soon, or she'd be late getting to the **Book 'n Bean** to relieve Jean. She stumbled out to the kitchen to get her coffee started and once she saw that all was well and brewing she headed into the bathroom for a shower.

The shower was invigorating and she was soon pouring coffee into her favorite mug and slipping out onto the deck to sip the comforting brew and watch the waves roll off the ocean.

Her thoughts went back to dinner at Jean's house last night. Emily often had dinner with Jean and her family on Sunday. While she enjoyed it, Emily often felt homesick for her own family by the time she got back to her empty apartment. She and Jean were doing the clearing up, Jean's husband having gone to put the baby to bed, and conversation turned again to the coming Saturday.

"Are going to buy something new for your running date?" Jean asked her, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Emily rolled her eyes and turned back to the pan she was scrubbing. "Jean, it's a little late for that. He has already seen me gasping like a fish trying to catch my breath. I was covered in sand and by the time we had finished our run, I was covered in sweat and my face, I suspect, was as red as a beet."

"Well, that doesn't mean you can't try for a little better presentation the next time. If you don't run so fast, you won't sweat, right?" Jean picked up a tea towel and began to dry the wine glasses and put them away.

Emily rinsed the last pan and turned to her friend. "I hate to break your bubble, but he wants a running partner, and that means I keep up with him, not slow him down. And, what if he doesn't show up? There is always that possibility."

Jean raised her eyebrows at her friend. "Do you really think he won't show up?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Emily said quietly. Jean let the subject drop and conversation turned to Emily's idea for a children's story hour at the store.

_Monday afternoon – 2:00 p.m._

Having processed the crime scene, Calleigh and Eric were riding back to the Crime Lab in a department Hummer. Eric was driving and Calleigh was looking out the window. She turned to Eric and said, a little too casually,

"Did you notice Horatio seemed a little… different today?"

Eric looked at her quickly, before turning his attention back to the road. "Yeah, Cal. I was starting to get worried the way he was picking up that piece of paper and putting it down again. I wonder if you can become OCD in your 40's?"

"I don't think that's it Eric. I didn't see his sunglasses anywhere on his desk, and he usually fiddles with them during our meetings. And Nancy didn't see them when he came in this morning," she finished smugly. "And, I heard he wasn't in the office all weekend and he has a sunburn and a cut under his eye just about where the lens of his sunglasses would lie. I wonder what happened?"

Eric parked the Hummer and said, "It's none of our business Calleigh. If he wants to tell us, he will when he's ready."

"Well that will be snowy day in Miami," Calleigh grumbled, climbing down from the Hummer and gathering up her kit.

After Jean had left the store for the day, Emily got out her laptop and her braille assignment and settled in at the counter to do some work. She would be on her own until 4:00 when Sally, a student from a nearby college, would arrive to help out for a few hours so Emily could grab a bite to eat and take care of any business-related issues that came up. Generally, the shop was pretty quiet in the afternoon, business picking up again near the dinner hour. The bell over the door announced anyone entering the shop and all too soon, Emily was engrossed in the dot formations on the screen in front of her. She never noticed the man lurking in the corner of the fiction section.

After an hour of proofing the dots on the screen, Emily hit the save and put her work aside. She was in need of coffee and a stretch. Looking around the small store as she stood up and walked around the counter, Emily wandered back to the small coffee bar they had set up near the office. It was a "serve yourself" sort of setup, but it seemed to be working. The smell of brewing coffee was extremely comforting to Emily and she was just about to pour a mug when a man startled her, stepping around the corner of the P's in the fiction section.

"Oh, can I help you?" she asked, setting the coffee mug down with a clunk.

"No,… I was just looking for something to read at the beach."

"We have some best seller type paperbacks up front near the counter," Emily said helpfully, trying to cover her nervousness. Besides the fact he was wearing dark glasses, and a baseball cap pulled low over his forehead, something about him gave her the shivers.

"Thank you." Emily watched as he walked straight through the store and out the door. She made a mental note to pay more attention to the door. After getting her coffee, she went back to the counter and called Jean to tell her about what had just happened.

_Monday evening – 7:00 p.m._

Horatio put down his notes and pinched the bridge of his nose. A quick glance at his watch told him it was time to go. Whatever he was looking for, he didn't see it in the files he had been reading the last hour since his team had gone home. He stood up and stretched, a few muscles protesting. He wasn't sure if he was sore from the workout on Saturday, putting the boat in and out of the water on Sunday, or the collision on the beach with Emily. Horatio smiled as he slipped his suit jacket on and headed out the door, intent on making a stop to pick up 3 new pairs of sunglasses on the way home.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

4

Chapter 3 – **Buzz, Buzz**

_Friday afternoon – 2:00 p.m._

Horatio and his team had arrived back at the crime lab from the most recent robbery. It was the 3rd robbery in the exclusive shopping district near the beach this week. From the looks of it so far, the robber knew when the store was short staffed and where 2 days worth of credit receipts and cash would be kept. This time someone had been hurt, and Horatio's fears were realized. The robberies had escalated to murder. Horatio and his team had an impressive rate of solved cases, but they were no closer to making an ID on who was behind the holdups than they had been on Monday. To make matters worse, the media had gotten wind of the robberies and dubbed the holdup man "the boutique bandit."

He looked at the stack of files and paperwork on his desk. Most of it was related to other cases or administrative-type paperwork that he had been putting off, focusing his energies instead on the robberies. Sooner or later it would have to be dealt with. Sighing, he took off his dark suit jacket, rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and sat down. He didn't immediately get to work, turning in his chair instead to gaze out the windows that made up one wall of his office. He ran his hand through his hair, a sure sign that he was frustrated.

The closer to Saturday it got, the more restless he was feeling. It was a bit unsettling. Since Marisol had died two years ago, he spent practically all his waking hours involved in his work, trying to find closure for the families the victims left behind. He often kept in touch with those families, offering support, researching resources for them, or just lending a sympathetic ear. To his team, he seemed to have an endless amount of empathy and compassion for others. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have any for himself. His feelings of guilt over Marisol's death had led him to shun any sort of personal contact with women, until Emily had crashed into him on the beach and he looked into those hazel eyes, framed with long golden lashes.

Jean was gathering her things up as she got ready to leave the **Book 'n Bean** for the day. The store was empty, save for a young couple in the cooking section, perusing seafood cookbooks. Since the incident last Monday, the women made it a point to check around the store several times a day. Neither had seen the man since then. Emily looked at her friend and took a deep breath. She knew she was opening a can of worms here, but she had to make sure she didn't oversleep.

"Jean, can I ask a favor?"

"Of course, Em, anything."

"Could you call my cell at 6:30 tomorrow?"

Jean raised her eyebrows. "In the a.m.?"

"Yes, in the a.m." Emily blushed and said, "I'm only asking because I'm afraid I might sleep through my alarms. You know I'm not a morning person."

"Ahh, so you are planning on keeping your date with a certain red-haired running partner." Jean leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms in front of her watching her friend closely. Emily was staring into her coffee cup as if the grounds would give her an answer. Taking a quick glance around to make sure they were alone, Jean said softly,

"Give it a chance Em. I think you two have more in common than you might think."

Emily looked up as her friend went on, "He lost his wife 2 years ago. The story goes that she had cancer when they began dating. 3 short months later, they married. Less than 24 hours after that, she was shot as a message to the Lieutenant from a gang he was investigating. Horatio was at the hospital with her when she died. He had tried to protect her. It wasn't enough. From what I've heard, he blames himself for her death and has completely immersed himself in his work, consumed with guilt."

"How sad for him." Emily said softly.

"I think you running into him on the beach may be the best thing that could have happened to you both." Jean picked up the paperwork she was taking home, "I will be your wake up call, promptly at 6:30 tomorrow. And, I expect details when you come in. Call if you are going to be late…" she teased as she waved good-bye.

_Friday evening - 11:00 p.m._

Horatio had been home several hours, having stayed in his office reading files and catching up on his paperwork until it began to blur in front of his eyes. Now that he was home, he couldn't seem to sleep. Thoughts of Marisol and Emily went around and around in his mind. Horatio knew Marisol would want him to be happy. The last thing she had said to him was _"don't be sad."_ He had promised her. But it was a promise he had not been able to keep. He had failed her again. And if he were to become involved with Emily, might not the whole scenario play out again? Sighing, he got out of bed and went out on the deck adjacent to his bedroom. The air was losing the heat of the day and felt cool against his bare chest. Clutching the railing tightly, the muscles in his arms flexing with the effort, Horatio gazed unseeingly into the darkness of the backyard. The dull boom of the waves washing ashore could be heard from the beach and he wondered again if Emily would show tomorrow. He would have liked to call her, but he hadn't had much luck locating a number for her. Horatio ran his hands through his hair yet again. The morning could not come soon enough.

Emily had been home several hours also, having locked up the shop promptly at 8:10 p.m. She only had 8 short blocks to walk home in the evening air and her feet were on autopilot as she thought about what Jean had told her about Horatio. Her initial gut feeling when she left him Saturday was that he was lonely and needed a friend. Several times during the week she had thought about calling the Miami Dade Crime Lab to talk to him. She thought that was where he had said he worked. Each time, she had put the phone down, not knowing what she would say if he happened to answer. Upon arriving home, she went about her evening ritual of getting something to eat, cleaning up and setting the coffee pot ready to brew in the morning. Then she went around and set her alarm clock, the alarm on her cell phone and the timer on the kitchen stove for 6:00, 6:10, and 6:15. That task complete, she brought her braille codebooks, Perkins brailler, laptop and tactile graphics kit out to the kitchen table in the small breakfast nook, opened the balcony door just a tad for some air, turned on the evening news on the small television beneath the kitchen counter and went to work. When she looked up at the clock next, it was 1:00 a.m.

_Saturday morning – 6:00 a.m._

Horatio had been awake since 5:00 a.m. He hadn't been sleeping, just staring at his ceiling, guilt gnawing at him for his failure to protect those he loved. In spite of his intentions to the contrary, Emily intruded into his thoughts more and more often. They were two people that met on the beach, albeit under rather unique circumstances. But still, he found himself remembering the feel of her body as they fell in the sand, legs and arms tangled together. And the shock he had felt as he helped her up. There was a very human part of him that craved the touch of another person, and he had spent the last 2 years successfully squashing that beneath guilt and work. In just 2 short hours, Emily had managed to undo it and just the slightest touch was enough to bring that need to the surface. Glancing at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time, he decided to take a shower before getting ready to head down to the beach to meet Emily.

The loud blare of Emily's alarm clock woke her from a sound sleep. Out of habit, she reached over and hit the snooze. Soon, her cell alarm sounded with a gentle beep, beep from the dresser on the other side of the bed. She burrowed further under her comforter. 5 minutes later the kitchen timer began its insistent beeping and her alarm clock began blaring loudly once again.  
'Something must be seriously wrong with me' she grumbled as she began turning off alarms. 'I have a date of sorts with a very attractive blue-eyed man with a body to die for and I can't get out of bed on time.'

Finally arriving at the kitchen, she turned off the stove timer and started the coffee pot. Glancing at the time, she hurried off to shower and get ready. She was surveying her t-shirt selection when Jean called.

"Wake up! It's time for class!" Jean teased, recalling an almost daily event from their days as college roommates.

"Thanks Jean. I'm just trying to find a shirt now."

"Ok, but remember what I said about presentation. See you." And she rang off.

Emily looked back to her choices. The #16 MN Twins shirt was a mans XL, definitely not. It would have to be the gray Twins shirt. It hinted at her slight curves but wasn't tight. She quickly finished getting dressed, pulled her still damp golden hair in a ponytail and slipped on socks and her running shoes while almost scalding her tongue on a quick but necessary cup of coffee.

Much like last week, Horatio locked the door and headed down the sandy path that led to the beach from his backyard. He took a few moments to stretch his muscles, his calves and thighs no longer sore from the activity of last weekend. Taking a deep breath, he slipped on a new pair of sunglasses and loped off down the beach, easily breaking into a comfortable stride, feeling the warmth of the morning sun on his face, and looking forward to seeing Emily again.

Feeling more like a human being now that she had had her morning pick-me-up, Emily grabbed her baseball cap from the table, quickly applied some sunscreen lip balm and locked the door to her apartment and scampered down the stairs. She did some quick stretches on the wall at the edge of the apartment complex, then set off for the beach access, admitting to herself she was looking forward to seeing Horatio again.

_The beach – 7:00 a.m._

Emily reached the beach access, quickly scanning to her left, looking for Horatio. After several minutes, she saw him, his red hair glinting in the sun as he loped toward her. She watched him as she did some more stretches, enjoying the easy way he moved, arms and legs perfectly in sync. He was dressed once again in navy sweatpants and a gray MDPD t-shirt. His blue eyes were hidden behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses and she smiled as she remembered opening her eyes and looking into his blue ones last week. She had seen those eyes in her dreams every night since.

Horatio saw Emily from a distance as he approached the beach access. He watched as she finished stretching her legs, then raised her arms over her head, bending right and left. Once again he noticed the long legs and shapely calves beneath her navy running shorts. She was blessed with a slender, athletic build and as he drew closer he saw that she was dressed today in a t-shirt that gently hugged her slight curves. Her long golden ponytail was threaded through the back of her baseball cap and he found himself wanting to let it loose from the band and thread his fingers through the silky strands.

Emily waved to him as he drew nearer.

"Hey you!" She called, with a welcoming smile as he slowed to a walk to catch his breath. It was then that he noticed she had the most adorable dimple in her right cheek when she smiled. Horatio took off his sunglasses as he stopped in front of her.

"Good morning Emily. It's good to see you." He found himself momentarily speechless. "I see you're ready for our run." He added, indicating he'd been watching her.

His red hair had been blown about in the wind and some strands had fallen across his forehead. Emily's fingers itched to brush them off to the side, then slide through… she stopped herself and looked away quickly from his intense blue eyes. She felt like he could see into the very depth of her being when she looked into them. When she looked back to him, she saw he was watching her intently.

Rather breathlessly, she asked, "Ready? I'll follow your lead." Horatio nodded, slipped his sunglasses on and they set off down the beach in the same direction he had been heading, while he explained their route for today.

Once again, they jogged along in comfortable silence, each easily keeping pace with the other. Occasionally, Emily would ask a question regarding the surroundings and Horatio was happy to share what he knew about the native plants and animals, ocean and history of the area. All too soon they had reached her apartment complex again and slowed to a walk as they approached her building.

"That was wonderful, well worth getting up for, I must say," Emily grinned at him. Horatio took off his sunglasses, fiddling with them in his fingers as he tilted an eyebrow at her, "Oh? Too early for you?" he teased, wondering what he could say to get that dimple to appear again.

"Let's just say I'm not a morning person and leave it at that, shall we?" Emily said sweetly. "For you I will gladly get out of bed at 6:15 in the morning," she added before realizing that she said out loud, what she had only been thinking a moment ago. She felt the blush rising in her face. "Okay, maybe a sinkhole can just open up and swallow me now," she groaned. She swatted away a flying bug that was buzzing around her head.

Horatio had been laughing at her words. Secretly, he was delighted. He was just about to tease her a bit more, when he felt a stinging pain in his left shoulder.

"Ouch!"

"What happened?" Emily asked.

"I think something stung me!"

"Where? Are you allergic?" Emily asked quickly, completely forgetting herself and stepping closer to look at his shoulder. His t-shirt was covering the sting, and she asked,

"May I?" then didn't wait for an answer as she lightly pulled the collar of his shirt to one side so she could see the sting. There was an angry red circle on his fair skin, clearly showing that the stinger was still embedded in his shoulder. She heard him answer no, he wasn't allergic, and not to worry about it. She stepped back and looked him in the eye.

"Horatio, the stinger is still in there. Come on upstairs and I'll get it out and we'll put some peas on it to get the swelling to go down." She reached for his right hand and started up the steps, taking out her key, and saying over her shoulder, "Trust me. I know about stings. I'll have you fixed up in a jiffy." He was too bemused to do anything but follow her, wondering what peas had to do with it.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

4

Chapter 4 – Doctor, Doctor

Emily quickly opened the door to her apartment and gave Horatio a little nudge toward her kitchen table. "Go sit down and I'll get the tweezers, and hydrocortisone cream." Horatio surveyed the tidy kitchen and the assortment of books and supplies on the table. He recognized the dots on the paper as braille, but that was as far as his knowledge of the subject went. She is full of surprises he thought.

"Horatio, I need you to take your shirt off." Emily's voice came from behind him.

He turned in his chair to look at her, slanting an eyebrow upwards, blue eyes sparkling. "I didn't expect an offer like that when I asked you to go running with me." He teased her, delighting in the rosy blush staining her cheeks.

"One should really not tease someone who is about to pull the proverbial thorn out of the lion's paw." She said sweetly.

"Yes doctor," Horatio looked at the tweezers in her hand. "You do know how to use those?"

"Of course," Emily said smoothly. "Now, about that shirt…." She was holding her breath as she watched him pull the shirt slowly over his head. The muscles in his shoulders rippled and his red hair became even more tousled. She bit her lip as she wondered how she was going to keep her hand steady enough to pull out the stinger.

Horatio felt the light touch of her hands on his shoulder as she said quietly, "Okay, now hold still. I want to get this on the first try." He was very aware of the warmth of her body behind him, the whisper of her hair as it brushed against his skin when she bent over his shoulder. Horatio barely felt the pull of the tweezers as she murmured, "Got it."

Emily stepped away from Horatio, before he realized just how much he affected her pulse rate. He watched as she moved over to the freezer located on the bottom part of her fridge and rummaged around. "Hmmm, the 16-oz size I think." And she pulled out a bag of frozen peas, bringing them over to where he was sitting.

"Frozen peas?" he asked her as she handed them to him.

"Put these on the sting for a few minutes to bring down the swelling. The bag of peas is more pliable than the blue ice pack things. Would you like something to drink?" she asked, moving away from him and opening her fridge. "Bottled water, pomegranate juice, soy protein drink, iced coffee? Hmm … You don't seem like a diet pop kind of guy."

Horatio chuckled. "Bottled water, please." As she handed it to him, he raised an eyebrow and questioned, "Pop? Not from around here, are you?"

"Busted." Emily smiled and her dimple appeared in her cheek. "Now you know I'm not a local, for sure. That's one of those regional phrases that we all laugh about at home, yet we all still say it. I've tried to remember to call it soda while I'm down here but sometimes I forget." She began to pop some ice cubes out of the tray, and looked around for the glass she had pulled out of the cupboard. Horatio watched her, enjoying her quick, efficient movements as she put together her iced coffee, adding a generous helping of half 'n half, before taking a long satisfying swallow. "Yum! I needed that." She pulled out the other chair and sat down across from him, watching him over the rim of her glass. "How's the shoulder?"

"Numb. I think the peas did their work. However, I don't think I'll be able to look at frozen peas in quite the same way from now on." He eased the bag from his shoulder and set it on the table in front of him.

"I keep them for medicinal purposes only." Emily smirked as she picked up the peas and put them back in the freezer. "Now, let's get some ointment on that sting. You might have some pain in it later. I assume you have some sort of analgesic on hand. And something for bug bites?" He nodded, remembering the last time he and Ray Jr. had gone camping for the weekend.

Emily bent over Horatio's shoulder once again, looking at the sting closely. It looked better already, not such an angry red against his fair skin.

"You're pretty good at this. I suspect you've done this before." Horatio commented, as he tried to ignore the tingling sensation running down his arm from her touch.

As she spread a layer of ointment over the sting, she answered without thinking. "Yes, actually. My husband was a nature photographer, he was always getting stung by something, it seemed. I had to learn how to get stingers out, identify poison ivy, poison oak. Thank heavens I never had to deal with a rattlesnake bite. We were too far away from a clinic to go running in every time something happened."

Whatever Horatio expected, that was not it. He drew in his breath sharply.

Emily heard it and looked up. His blue eyes had darkened with hurt and he was looking at her strangely.

"You're married." He said it so quietly, she wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly.

"Not anymore." Emily sighed. She hadn't meant to let that slip out. "Kevin, my husband, was killed 3 years ago in an accident. I… I don't like to talk about it, Horatio." Her tone told him he wasn't going to get any more information out of her now.

"I'm sorry, Emily." he said softly, knowing first hand the pain she must have gone through. The warmth had come back into his eyes, though they were still dark blue with emotion.

"It's no big deal." Emily took a deep breath, "It was far away from Miami." Wide hazel eyes met emotion-darkened blue ones. His eyes never leaving hers, Horatio gently touched her cheek and said,

"I understand."

"I know." She said simply.

She gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. Forcing a light laugh, she said, "All done, you can put your shirt back on now. You've been an excellent patient. I'll send you my bill." Horatio blinked his eyes, as if changing gears back to the light banter of just a couple minutes ago. This woman definitely knew how to keep him off balance.

"I don't think emergency bug bite surgery is covered under my health plan." Horatio said with a boyish grin, slipping his t-shirt back over his head, once again tousling his hair all the more. The effect was heart-stopping for Emily, who almost dropped her bug bite supplies. "Do you have a payment plan?" he asked, standing up, catching her by surprise.

"Umm .. no, never really needed one before. I'm sure we can work one out. I'll be right back." Emily blushed and quickly went to put her things away.

Horatio watched her walk quickly down the hallway. His mind was going around and around over what had just taken place. His initial reaction was to keep questioning her, to find out more, find out what exactly had happened. Suddenly feeling restless, he went into the living room and began perusing her bookcase. One complete shelf was Shakespeare works. The other two shelves held classic Midwestern authors, mostly F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis, and various collections of _A Prairie Home Companion_. He squatted down to see what the bottom shelf held, and was surprised to see a variety of books on Celtic mythology, Irish history and authors. Horatio smiled, Emily intrigued him, there was no doubt about it. An idea was starting to take hold.

Emily threw some water on her face and took 5 deep breaths. She had no idea what to expect from Horatio when she went back out there. She had been completely taken by surprise by the hurt in his eyes. She barely knew the man. If she was honest, she wanted to know him better, but she was at a loss as to how to figure out if he felt the same way. Emily stopped in the hallway, watching him as he read the spines on the books on the bottom shelf of her bookshelf. Even his sweats didn't completely hide the outline of his thighs and calves. He has a pretty nice backside as well, she thought with a smile.

Horatio had a feeling he was being watched. He gave her a moment, then stood up and turned to her.

"You have interesting tastes in books." He commented with a smile.

"Well, I was an English major in college. I love F. Scott Fitzgerald. He's my favorite author. He wrote about things I know and I grew up in the area where he lived for a while. It was always exciting to read about things in a story that I had first hand knowledge of. It's hard to explain."

"And Shakespeare?" he wondered aloud.

"I always liked theatre. Shakespeare is wonderful to read, but seeing a Shakespeare play is so thrilling. The story doesn't change, but it's inspiring to see how differently the plays can be presented. And the themes are so timeless." Emily trailed off, blushing lightly as she said, "Sorry, I get a little carried away. I don't have many chances to talk about theatre and literature."

Horatio was smiling and his blue eyes were twinkling. "You told me you work in a bookstore."

"True, but its not the same." She said with a smile.

"So, you would enjoy the chance to experience some theatre in Miami?" he asked her mysteriously.

"Er, yes…" she said.

He was standing with his hands on his hips, absently drumming his fingers of his left hand against the waist of his sweatpants, his head tilted to one side as he looked at her.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" he asked. Emily was surprised by his question. She gestured toward the pile of books and her laptop on the table.

"I've got a Volume I that must be finished. I need to send it back to the proofreader on Monday. I'm thinking it will take me the better part of the afternoon."

"I've got some work I need to go over at the office tomorrow afternoon. If you're free in the evening, the University of Miami theatre department is doing a "Shakespeare in the Park" at the beach. I believe the play is _The Tempest_. Would you be interested?"

Emily's eyes widened. "That is one of my favorites. Oh, yes!"

"Good. It's pretty low key. Wear something comfortable and it can get cool as the sun goes down. I'll pick you up at 6:00?" She could only nod. "Oh, and do you have a number where I can reach you? I haven't been able to find one."

"Oh, so you HAVE been checking up on me Lieutenant." Emily said with a smile. "I'll give you my card." She walked over to where her braille things were piled on the table and opened a folder. Returning to where he now stood by her door, she handed it to him. It felt bumpy. He noticed the braille dots on one side.

Turning it over he read, "Emily's Dancing Dot Factory" and smiled.

"I better be going. I'll see you tomorrow at 6:00. Next week, same time and place? Or would you like to run a little later?"

"7:00 am is fine. Maybe you'd like to be my back-up wake-up call?" she asked him with a grin.

"Put me on the list. Take care Emily." He smiled at her and she watched from the door as he pounded down the stairs and set off across the parking lot to the beach.

Emily got a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and carried it to the loveseat in her living room. She flopped down and pressed the cold bottle to her forehead. "What just happened?" she wondered aloud. Horatio's reaction to her comment about Kevin confused her to no end. Why should it matter to him? She was just thankful that he had taken her at her word that she didn't want to discuss the details of his death. However, she didn't doubt that the next time it came up, she might not get off so easily. Emily picked up her cell phone from the coffee table and checked the time. She would be late if she didn't get moving. Besides, she had to stop into the coffee shop on the way to the bookstore and get Jean a tall latte.

Horatio saw nothing of the scenery on his run home. His mind was churning with the events of the morning. Emily was a complex woman, no doubt about it. One moment she was sweet and shy, blushing when he caught her looking at him, the next she was teasing and flirting with him, the next she was serious and all business as she set about taking care of his bee sting. Obviously, she hadn't quite dealt with all the issues surrounding her husband's death. Well, there were enough of those feelings to go around, he reminded himself. He wanted to know more about what happened and if the death of her husband is what brought her to Miami. More than anything, he didn't want to see the look in her eyes when she mentioned her husband's death. The brief sadness touched him. He spent most of his waking hours helping people. He wanted to help her, if she would just let him in.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

6

Chapter 5 – **Spells**

Emily was a few minutes late getting into the **Book 'n Bean** for her Saturday afternoon shift. There were quite a few customers in the store, so Emily tried for her best "I'm innocent" smile and handed Jean her tall latte without a word. Quickly, before her friend had a chance to say anything, Emily headed back to the small office at the back of the store. The women didn't have a chance to meet up with each other again until Sally arrived at 2:00 to help out so Jean could go home. Since there were still customers about, Jean said, "Call me tonight. No excuses!"

"Yes ma'am" Emily answered.

Horatio arrived home and showered and got ready to run his usual Saturday errands. He arrived at the cemetery and sat in the car for several minutes. Too many people who had been a part of his life were here, too many lives forever changed by a simple act of violence - his brother Ray, Tim Speedle, and Marisol. Taking the single white rose he brought to put at Marisol's grave each week, he left the car and walked the now familiar route to where she would forever rest. Horatio took off his sunglasses and surveyed his surroundings for several minutes. Seeing nothing amiss, he knelt before her headstone, carefully taking away the wilted rose and setting the new one in its place. He traced her name on the cool stone. Marisol Delko Caine.

"Oh, Marisol. I promised you I wouldn't be sad. But I haven't kept that promise. I've been sad, for you, for Eric, for myself. I thought of all the things you missed. And I've felt guilty, that by loving me, you lost your chance to have that normal life you wanted so badly. I should have known better; I should have kept you away. But I thought it would be okay, I thought I could protect you. And it wasn't enough." He sighed and ran his fingers once again over the inscription. "I know you would want me to be happy. I just don't know if I can take that chance again." Horatio was silent, listening to the stillness and wishing he knew where to find the answer to his question.

_Saturday evening – 6:00 pm_

The afternoon passed quickly enough and soon it was closing time. Sally had just locked the door after seeing the last customer out. Emily began closing out the cash drawer, getting ready to take it back and lock it in the safe. The women chatted as they walked back toward the office, Sally stopping at the coffee station to tidy up and make sure the coffee pots were clean and machines turned off. They were both startled by a sudden banging on their front door. Well aware of the recent string of robberies at shops on the beach, Emily and Jean had vowed to be more careful in their day-to-day business activities at the store.

"Sally, see if you can see who it is without going all the way up to the front, and don't open the door," Emily said. "I'm going to lock this in the safe, then I'll join you." Her heart was beating faster as she quickly locked up the office, remembering to grab her cell phone as she went out.

"Emily, I think it's Mr. Edwards from next door." Sally's voice carried through the empty store. "I can't tell what he wants. Should we let him in?"

"No. I'll be right there." She met Sally by the service counter in the middle of the store. "Did you see anyone else out there?" she asked Sally.

"No… but I didn't go any farther than the service counter."

"Okay, I'm going to go see what he needs. If I wave my hand in the air, you dial 911 immediately," she said, handing Sally the cell phone. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Ok, here goes…"

Reflecting a confidence she was far from feeling, Emily walked up front, glancing quickly through the glass windows that made up their storefront. Nothing seemed amiss. Mr. Edwards was their neighbor one store over to the south. He ran a small art boutique, selling crafts made by local artisans. It ran the gamut from handmade jewelry to pottery and stained glass windows. He had refused to get a deadbolt type lock on his door, relying instead on the push button, self-locking type from years ago. She had often wondered if his lock was code or if the city had ever tried to make him change it. When he saw her, he began shouting, "Miss Emily, I locked myself out. Can you let me in so I can call my daughter to bring my extra key down?" Emily hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath.

"Of course, Mr. Edwards." She said as she went to open the door, while calling over her shoulder, it's OK, Sally. Mr. Edwards has locked himself out again." She let the older gentleman into the store, relocking the door afterwards and pointed to the phone. "There you go Mr. Edwards. I'll stay Sally, you can get going. Everything's done, I'll just set the alarm after Mr. Edwards gets his key from his daughter."

"Okay, I'll see you on Monday afternoon, then. 'Bye Mr. Edwards." Sally went out and Emily locked the door behind her. "Would you like a cup of coffee while we wait Mr. Edwards?" she asked with a sigh, knowing they would be here for a bit.

An hour and half later, Mr. Edwards was on his way into his store, with his daughter in tow. Emily said goodbye to them, set the alarm and went out the storefront, locking the front door behind her. She was tired and wanted to get back to her apartment. None of them noticed the man who sitting across the street on the bench reading his paper.

_Saturday night – 10:15 pm._

Horatio arrived home after having a late dinner with Yelina and Ray Jr. He was tired and hoped he would be able to sleep tonight. He took Emily's card from his pocket and looked at it, running his fingers over the dots several times. He pulled out his cell phone and programmed the number into it. Setting the card on the desk in the study, he wandered to the kitchen to get a cold drink and took it out onto the deck. An almost full moon lit up the night sky and he smiled as he thought of Emily's excitement when he mentioned the play. It had been a long while since he had seen a play himself.

For most of Horatio's adult life, he had surrounded himself with people in law enforcement and the sciences. It was his comfort zone, a way of making order from chaos. Life was not always black and white, and Horatio could accept that, indeed he relied on that factor when doing his job. But in the end, science could be relied on to prove or disprove a theory. Perhaps that's why he found Emily so intriguing, she was not in that comfort zone, she did not seem bound by those rules. Theatre and literature offered endless possibilities and interpretations, without a right or wrong answer in the end. Horatio wished he had an answer.

After arriving home, Emily fixed herself light dinner and took it out onto her small balcony. The moon was almost full, it would be beautiful outside tomorrow evening on the beach. She shivered as she thought of seeing one of her favorite Shakespeare plays. She only hoped she wouldn't be distracted by her companion. Not that he would deliberately distract her, but the thought of being close to him, on the beach, in the darkness, under the full moon, watching one of Shakespeare's romantic plays, was taking her thoughts in directions that she had not had about any man since Kevin had died. Glancing at her braille work on the kitchen table, she decided she it would have to wait until tomorrow. She cleaned up, then took a last cup of coffee, heavy on the cream, her favorite edition of _The Tempest_, curled up on her loveseat and lost herself in the play.

_Sunday morning – 8:00 am_

The insistent chirping of Emily's telephone woke her. At first she thought it was Saturday again and she was supposed to go running with the Lieutenant. A quick glance at her alarm clock reminded her it was Sunday. Reaching over for her phone, she saw it was Jean and groaned. She had forgotten to call her friend and now she was going have to go through yesterday's events without a first cup of coffee to bolster her defenses.

"Hello Jean."

"Ok, what's up? Why didn't you call? Is he there? What hap…"

"Jean, I was just about to get in the shower. Call you right back." Emily hung up quickly. She figured Jean would hold out about 3 and half minutes before calling back. Enough time to get coffee brewing and maybe coax out a few last drops from yesterday's leftovers, she thought. In less than 60 seconds, the comforting aroma of brewing coffee filled Emily's kitchen.

Horatio sipped his morning cup of coffee and looked outside. There was a light drizzle coming down and he hoped it was just a passing cloudburst. He didn't want to admit to himself just how much he was looking forward to seeing Emily this evening. It had been a long time since he had studied any Shakespeare. Wandering over to the computer at his desk, he sat down and googled _The Tempest. _Some research might be in order, he thought. The files he wanted to study at the lab could wait another couple of hours.

When her phone rang 3 minutes later, Emily was prepared.

"Good Morning, Jean. How are you?"

"Don't you 'good morning Jean' me, Miss Emily Saunders. I want details. What happened yesterday?"

Emily took a slow sip of coffee and grinned. "He got stung by a bee. I brought him upstairs and he took his shirt off…" Emily held the phone away from her ear as Jean began to squeal and say triumphantly, "I knew it. I knew you two would be perfect for each other. I knew it."

"… so I could get the stinger out of his shoulder, Jean." She smiled as her friend calmed down somewhat. "Which I did and he invited me to see a play with him at the beach tonight." Once again she had to hold the phone away from her ear until Jean calmed down.

"How romantic, Emily. There's going to be a full moon tonight you know. You never know what might happen."

"Well, Jean, so far, I've managed to knock him down in the sand and get him stung by a bee. The way this is going, he'll probably get bit by a vampire bat or something." Emily looked outside at the drizzle coming down. "Besides, if this weather doesn't change, it may not matter."

"Don't think like that Emily. He's interested, I can feel it. So, what are you going to wear? Are you going shopping? If you get something new, stop by the store and show it to me…."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Jean. I haven't given it much thought. And I'm not going shopping. I'm spending my day off with my braille volume that I need to get in the mail on Monday morning."

"Okay – the baby's awake. I have to go, but we are discussing this at lunch on Monday, Emily. No excuses! Have fun!"

"Oh Jean, Mr. Edwards locked himself out again. It was almost 8:00 by the time I set the alarm last night. I didn't see anyone else though."

"Thanks for letting me know. 'Bye."

The day passed quickly for both Horatio and Emily, each caught up in their own world of paperwork. Horatio had been hoping to get a jump on the murder of the shopkeeper from Friday, but their seemed to be little forensic evidence left at the scene. The idea had occurred to him that there could be similar crimes up and down the beaches in Fort Myers and possibly Daytona. He made some calls, but wouldn't hear anything back until Monday. He looked at his watch and ran his hands through his hair. It was 5:00, time for him to get ready to meet Emily. Horatio refused to think of it as a date, that word implied a question he didn't yet have an answer for.

Emily felt very productive, she had managed to finish her braille volume and go for a run around the small lake she and Horatio had circled on Saturday. Arriving back at her apartment, she grabbed one last cup of coffee and sipped it while perusing her CD collection. Hmmm… she needed some music to set the mood, Enya's _Shepherd Moons_. She went off to get ready, humming along with the haunting melodies.

_Sunday evening, 6:00 pm_.

Horatio knocked on her door promptly at six. Despite what Emily had told Jean, she was rather excited about her evening with Horatio. She had indulged in her favorite grapefruit shampoo, body scrub and lotion. Other than clear lip gloss, Emily didn't wear make up. She was blessed with clear skin and she had a light tan on her face to give it some color. When she opened the door, Horatio caught his breath. For a moment they just stared at each other, until Emily remembered her manners and invited him inside.

Emily had decided on her long black knit skirt that swirled around her ankles and a slate blue knit tank top that clung in all the right places. She had her black cotton sweater over her arm and she had let her hair hang loose, tucking the sides behind her ears. Her only jewelry was a small Celtic cross inlaid with Connemara marble that hung on a delicate silver chain around her neck. In her heels, she was almost as tall as Horatio.

Judging by the fine fabric and well tailored fit to his lean build, Horatio's dark suit was expensive. 'Not exactly beach wear, but who was she to complain,' Emily thought as she gave him the once over. His blue shirt was open at the collar and he was standing with his hands on his hips, suit coat pushed behind him so that she couldn't help but notice his trim waist. His red hair was neatly combed and Emily's fingers itched to muss it up, just a little. They both spoke at once.

"You look terrific Emily."

"You clean up pretty good Horatio." He caught a glimpse of her dimple when she smiled at him. "I'm just going to turn off the CD and I'm ready." Horatio watched her cross the room, a slight swing to her slim hips as she moved with the lilting music. He noticed the book she had been reading last night on the top of the low bookshelf.

"Studying up on the play?" he asked her.

"Yes, you caught me. It's been so long since I've read it. I wanted to refresh my memory a bit. Otherwise I find I get distracted by trying to remember all the ins and outs of the plot, and I lose the nuances of the words." She locked her door and it seemed perfectly natural that he took her hand and they set off down the stairs to his car.

Emily soon discovered he had done some studying of his own and they had a lively exchange on the way to the beach. In no time they were pulling into the parking lot.

"You don't mind sitting on the ground?" he asked her, taking the beach blanket from the trunk. Emily had been watching the sun glinting off his hair, and answered without thinking, "I wouldn't mind sitting in quicksand if I'm sitting with you." Horatio looked at her and tilted his head. Sure enough, a rosy blush began to stain her cheeks and she groaned.

"I did it again. You don't happen to know of any quicksand lurking around here I can just go disappear into, do you?" He came around the car, took her hand and said softly in her ear, "Sorry, no quicksand around here. I guess I'll have to figure out another way to get you in my arms." Emily was actually speechless and Horatio found that he was a bit surprised himself. "I think you're habits are rubbing off on me, Emily." He murmured as they headed down to the beach.

_Sunday evening, 7:30 pm_

Emily sighed in contentment. Everything about this evening was perfect. Horatio had found a spot near the middle of the seating area, just left of center stage. Emily had slipped out of her shoes, and stretched out her legs, wriggling her toes in the sun-warmed sand. Horatio watched her, delighted that he had made her happy. She turned to him, her hazel eyes glittering with golden sparks, "Horatio, this feels so good. You should try it." He smiled at her, and said, "I'll take your word for it." Just then the stage lights went up and Emily turned toward the stage in anticipation. The play was about to start.

Emily was enthralled. She was lost in the spell of the play from the moment it began. Horatio watched her, a smile on his face as she pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees, her eyes never leaving the stage. He saw her lips moving and assumed she was reciting the words to the verses she knew. When there was a change in scenes, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear,

"You like it?"

"Oh, yes!" Emily turned to him and smiled, her dimple showing in her cheek, before turning her attention back to the stage. As the sun went down the air on beach began to cool off and Emily slipped on her sweater. She shivered slightly and rubbed her arms to get the blood flowing and warm up, still not taking her attention away from the stage.

Watching her, Horatio leaned forward and gently drew her back with him, whispering, "Relax sweetheart, I'll help keep you warm," as he settled her back against his chest, his legs on either side of her. He looped his arms around her waist and she felt the warmth of his hands through the cotton of her sweater. As she began to fall under the spell of the play once more, Emily relaxed and when she rested her head against his chest, she felt the steady beat of his heart. Horatio lost track of time as he tried to memorize the feel of her body against his, the citrus scent of her lotion as it wafted through the air, the gentle sound of the waves lapping on the not so distant shore. He could have stayed like that all night. It was if the spell of the faeries on stage had extended out to the audience.

_Intermission_

By the intermission, it had grown dark. Resting her head against his chest and totally content in Horatio's arms, Emily looked up into the sky. The moon was a beautiful white disk above the ocean and she searched the sky for the constellations she knew. Finding Orion's belt and the big dipper she said softly,

"I feel so small when I look at all the stars in the sky. Did you ever wonder what it must have been like, before all the buildings and things were here? Like Prospero on the island with the faeries? To see all those stars and wonder …. " she trailed off. Horatio smiled. He loosened one of his arms from around her to gently move some golden hair from where it had escaped from behind her ears. Their eyes met and Emily whispered,

"Moonlight blue."

"What is, sweetheart?" His soft voice tickled her ear and she shivered in his arms.

"Your eyes." Without thinking, she lifted her hand to gently trace the crinkles in the corners of his eyes, the lines around his mouth. His hand had slid to her cheek, and Emily watched as the color of his eyes became an even deeper blue, if that was possible she thought hazily. She felt helpless to move and it seemed a kiss was imminent.

"Emily, I…" his voice trailed off as they were interrupted by a young man's voice,

"Uncle Horatio! I didn't know you were going to be here."

Slowly Horatio raised his head, turning Emily to shield her and saw that it was his nephew, Ray and his girlfriend. Horatio introduced Emily and the stage lights flickered signaling that the intermission was almost over. Ray and his girlfriend said good-bye and Horatio once again settled Emily against his chest, but the spell had been broken.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

4

Chapter 6 – **The Kiss**

_Sunday evening, 10:15 pm_

After the last curtain call, Horatio and Emily folded up the beach blanket and slowly wandered back to the car, hand in hand. Upon reaching the car, Emily leaned against it and watched as he stowed the blanket in the trunk.

He came around to open her door and she looked at him. Putting her hand on his arm, she said softly, "That was wonderful. I … I can't remember the last time someone did something so thoughtful for me." She smiled, dimple showing, and he caught his breath. "I wish it didn't have to end," she said wistfully. He could just make out the blush rising in her cheeks. He leaned close to her and said, "I agree. Would you like to go for a drive?" Emily didn't trust herself to answer him, so she nodded and peeped up at him from lowered lashes. He gave her a little smile and helped her into his car.

Emily leaned back in the comfortable seat and watched him. They had left the lights of the city behind them and were driving north. The windows were down and the night air wafted into the car. Before leaving the parking lot, he had asked her if she'd like some music. At her nod, he'd pulled out a soft-sided case of CD's, offered them to her, saying to pick out whatever caught her eye. She smiled as she flipped through them, a collection running the gamut from the Beethoven to U2. Eventually, she settled on a collection of Clapton tunes. Twenty minutes later as the strains of _Wonderful Tonight_ filtered through the car, Horatio turned to catch her looking at him. Blue eyes met hazel in the intimate darkness of the car, and she looked away quickly, glad he couldn't see the blush she could feel rising in her cheeks. "Almost there, sweetheart," he said softly.

The car had left the paved highway for a dirt road and they bumped along for a few minutes until the road ended near some mangrove trees and the glistening water beyond. He turned off the engine and for several moments, the only sound was the sighing of the breeze in the trees and the screech of night birds looking for their dinner. Horatio got out of the car and came around to help her out. She looked at him questioningly, but he only gave a little shake of his head and took her hand. Obviously he was familiar with this area, because he seemed to know exactly where he was going, their only light from the full moon above them. Soon they were approaching a small wedge of sand and Emily could see the stillness of the water beyond. The loose sand was working its way into her shoes, and she gave a little tug to his hand.

"Wait, I can't keep up with you." She leaned on him while she took off her shoes and soon they finished their short walk to the beach. Horatio put his arm around her and gently pulled her up next to him. He pointed out to the water, where she had just caught a glimpse of a shadow. His voice was soft in her ear.

"Dolphins. Be very quiet and you can hear them when they break the surface for air. You can just see them in the moonlight trail on the water. They're feeding." She stood enthralled as she heard the soft puffs of air as the sleek animals broke the surface and dove again. Emily was vaguely aware of him putting his arms around her and drawing her back against him. She lost track of time as they watched the almost silent nature scene being played out before them.

Eventually the animals moved on out into the bay and Emily turned impulsively to look at Horatio. Her eyes were wide. "That was incredible," she said softly. "Thank you for sharing it with me. I… I think this place is special … to you?" His blue eyes had been studying her face and now he nodded then looked out to the water. She waited, sensing he was trying to find the right words. When his gaze returned to her, he said, "I come out here when I need to think. Or be alone. I've never brought anyone here before. It seemed …" he paused. "Like the appropriate place for our first kiss." She felt like she was drowning in those blue eyes. "Oh…" was all she could say and shivered. Horatio's eyes never left hers as he gathered her into his embrace, her palms resting against his chest. Without her heels, she had to tilt her head back to look up at him.

One of his hands had threaded through the silky waterfall of her hair, coming to rest at her nape, his thumb caressing the side of her neck. Horatio's gaze slid to her lips, and he murmured, "I want very much to kiss you Emily."

"Oh, yes." She wouldn't have believed that breathy voice could belong to her had she not heard it with her own ears. Their eyes looked deep into one another once more and then Emily's closed as their lips met. Horatio's kiss was gentle, tentative, tasting and caressing her lips, causing her to shiver in his embrace. He felt it and gathered her closer, her hands sliding up to his shoulders. Shifting his feet so he could take more of her weight, he urged her still closer, her light citrus scent mingling with the night air.

He lifted his mouth from hers, just enough to say her name, his voice husky with emotion. "Emily?" His thumb gently stroked her lips, and she opened her eyes. When Horatio dipped his head once more to kiss her, Emily allowed him to deepen the kiss and for some time she was aware of nothing but the warmth of his body against hers, the beating of their hearts, the softness of his hair slipping through her fingers and the warmth of his mouth as he explored every inch of hers. She was allowed to do her own investigation, feeling exhilarated that her kiss could make him tremble in her arms.

When Horatio broke their kiss, Emily could only murmur his name and rest her head against his chest. His voice low and husky, he said her name.

"Emily, Emily… look at me sweetheart." With an effort, she looked up at him, her eyes dark with emotion, lips swollen from his kisses. "Horatio…." She couldn't seem to find the words.

"Shhhh…. Shhhhh…. It's ok sweetheart." He caught his breath when he looked at her. She was so beautiful and his hands couldn't stop stroking her hair, her soft skin. "I've got to get you home sweetheart. It's getting close to midnight my dear."

"Oh, will you turn into a field mouse?" Her befuddled mind heard midnight and immediately thought of Cinderella. Even when she had just experienced the most intense kiss of her life, she still managed to blurt out the first thing her mind could think of to this man. She had a sudden image of a field mouse with red fur and blue eyes scampering down the road and she began to giggle.

Whatever Horatio had expected, it was not that. 'Field mouse?' he wondered, forcing himself to think, trying to clear the fog from his mind. He heard Emily trying to explain through giggles, "Cinderella … field mouse … coachman." Ah, now he could see the connection. Would he ever be able to follow these lightening quick changes in conversation of hers, he thought, not even realizing that he was thinking in the long term. He smiled and said, "Okay, let's gather up your glass slippers and I'll try to get you home before we turn into pumpkins."

He insisted on carrying her back to the car. Secretly, Emily was glad. She wasn't entirely sure how far her legs would carry her, the time spent in Horatio's arms seemed to have sapped all her strength. She searched his face as he carried her to the car. He set her down to lean against it as he opened her door then helped her inside. He gently brushed aside her hands and did her seat belt up for her, his hands lightly brushing against her. "Horatio…. I …" her voice faded away as their eyes met and he said,

"Shhhhh…." And taking her face in his hands, he kissed her once more, ever so gently on the mouth. Then he was shutting her door and walking around the car. She watched him, noticing how cute he looked with his hair tousled all over. As he started up the car, he noticed her smile, and asked her, "Care to share?"

She nodded and said, "I was just thinking how I much I love your hair all tousled. I've been wanting to run my fingers through it since I met you, especially earlier this evening when it was combed so neatly." He reached over and squeezed her fingers before turning the car around and heading back to the city.

They were silent on the drive back. It was a comfortable silence. Emily watched him drive, reflecting on what he had done for her tonight. The play, their first kiss, which implied there would be others, and he had taken the trouble to make them special for her. She shivered and he noticed immediately.

"Cold?" Emily shook her head shyly and smiled, her dimple appearing, taking his attention away from the road for just a moment. Once again, he reached over and squeezed her fingers, then turned his attention back to the road.

Horatio hadn't wanted to end the kiss on the beach. If anything, he had wanted it to continue. But, he needed to take this slow, for both their sakes. He had the impression that Emily hadn't dated since the death of her husband and Horatio had steered clear of all types of relationships, particularly with women. He didn't doubt that he had feelings for Emily, it was a realization that was growing stronger all the time. What he did doubt was his ability to protect her if he decided to act upon those feelings some time in the future.

_Midnight, Monday, 12:00 am_.

The car pulled into Emily's apartment complex on the stroke of midnight. She smiled and said, "No pumpkins."

He parked, then got out and helped her out. She leaned on him while she slipped her shoes on, then he took her hand, leading her to the stairway to her apartment. She protested he didn't have to do that.

"No problem, really Emily. I'll feel better knowing you are safe." She followed behind him, secretly relieved that he was there. She still didn't like going into her empty apartment.

Once inside, he turned on a few lights, and checked the rooms while she waited outside her door. Once he was satisfied all was well, he waved her inside.

They stood at the door, facing each other. Emily didn't know what to say to him, couldn't look in those blue eyes. Horatio saw the uncertainty in her eyes as she glanced away, and stepped nearer.

"Emily, look at me, please." She lifted her gaze to meet his, uncertain of how to proceed with him. Shyly, she said,

"Horatio, I had a wonderful time tonight. Everything … was perfect. I can't find the words to tell you how much I enjoyed this evening." His blue eyes gleamed and he reached for her, saying softly,

"I agree. Words don't seem to say enough. But I can think of something else that can…."

When she realized he meant to kiss her again, Emily put her hands up to rest on his chest, not allowing him to pull her too close. "Horatio…" she whispered, her eyes pleading with him to be gentle, to say good-night before she lost all sense and begged him to spend the night with her, in her bed….

"I know sweetheart …. I know. Just one kiss, before I go. I had a wonderful time too." Putting his fingers beneath her chin, he tilted her head up towards his and bent his head to kiss her ever so gently on the mouth. Her lips were still swollen from his kisses on the beach and he didn't want to hurt her. Kissing his finger and putting it against her lips, he said, "Good night Emily. We'll talk later OK? Now lock the door behind me. Good night sweetheart." She could only nod and watched as he went out the door shutting it behind him. She didn't hear his footsteps and realized he was waiting for her to do the deadbolt. As soon as it thunked into place, she heard his quick steps on the stairs and went to the window to watch him get in his car.

Horatio looked up and waved to Emily, looking out her window, watching him. For some reason, it touched him. He smiled and drove home feeling the happiest he had in a very long time.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

4

Chapter 7 – **Tag, You're It!**

Emily stood at the window and watched as Horatio pulled out of the parking lot, following the tail lights as far as she could. Her apartment felt more lonely and empty than usual. Wrapping her arms around herself, she went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her hair had escaped from behind her ears, whether from the wind, or Horatio's caresses, she couldn't be sure. Lightly touching her lips with her fingers, she thought about that first gentle kiss and the more exploring ones that had come afterwards. She needed to talk to someone, and she could think of only one person who would be up at 12:30 am.

Horatio drove home, his mind going over and over the events of the evening. He could not forget the pleading look in her eyes as he kissed her goodnight, or how wonderful it felt when he held her in his arms. Arriving home, Horatio went about getting ready for bed; he smiled as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, his hair was tousled even more than usual due to Emily's fingers running through it at the beach. For the first time in a very long while, he fell asleep almost the instant his head hit the pillow.

_Monday morning, 6:00 a.m._

Horatio's alarm clock actually woke him in the morning. He reached over to turn it off, and was surprised to see that he had actually slept soundly for five plus hours. As he sipped his coffee on the deck, Horatio looked at his phone. He wanted to call Emily, to hear her voice and reassure himself that last night had really happened. Recalling her comments about not being a morning person, he decided against it – for now. Going back into the house to shower and get ready for the office, he found himself wondering how Emily had slept last night … and if she had dreamed of moonlight blue dolphins.

Arriving at the Miami Dade Crime Lab shortly before 8:00 am., Horatio sat in his car for just a moment listening as the last few bars of _Wonderful Tonight_ faded away. 'It had been a most wonderful night,' he thought, smiling as he exited the car. Impeccably dressed as always in a simple but expensive dark suit, that fit perfectly on his six-foot plus lean frame, his weapon and ID on one hip and badge clipped to the other, Horatio turned heads as he walked into the Crime Lab. A softly spoken comment about Moonlight Blue running through his mind when he was getting dressed made him choose a light blue shirt today instead of his usual white. Paula, their receptionist, had his messages waiting for him. Usually she handed them to him as he walked past. Today he stopped, wishing her a good morning as he thumbed through the 12 or so odd pieces of paper. Paula watched as he set off down the hall, on his usual route, a quick stop in the break room for coffee before going to his office. He always walked with a confident step, but today it seemed lighter. She smiled and thought she would have to ask Calleigh what was up with the boss.

He arrived in his office a short time later, coffee in hand. Shutting the door, he sat down at his desk and sorted through his messages. Before setting to work he sent a quick text message to Emily – figuring she was still asleep, not wanting to wake her. Then he settled in to work, stopping at 8:45 to gather his team for the usual Monday morning meeting. Shortly after 9:00 a.m. Erik, Ryan and Calleigh were gathered in his office. He filled them in on his idea that possibly there had been some similar robberies in Fort Myers or Daytona, or Palm Beach. He was expecting to hear something back today. Calleigh watched her boss; though he looked his usual self, she noticed he had lost some of the usual sadness that hung over him like an aura. Remembering Paula's comment from this morning, Calleigh wondered who she was that had finally gotten Horatio to come out from his self-imposed prison.

_Monday morning 9:30 a.m._

Emily woke up early – for her anyway. She lay in bed and the events of the previous evening came flooding back to her. For just a moment she wondered if it was all a dream, then she saw her sweater on the pillow next to her. She had fallen asleep holding it last night, the scent of his cologne tickling her nose and bringing a smile to her face as she fell asleep. She reached for her cell phone on the night table by the bed and saw that she had a message.

_Good morning, sweetheart. Didn't want to wake you. Call me. H._

She hit the send and waited, listening for him to pick up, a smile on her face. After some time it rolled over to his voicemail. She panicked, not sure what to say, she had expected to hear him answer.

"Oh, hi. It's Emily. Talk to you later."

'Oh, great,' she thought. 'I sounded like a complete idiot.' She hit the send again, hoping he wouldn't answer this time. To her relief, it rolled over to voicemail once again.

"Good morning Horatio, it's Emily. My only defense for the previous message is the fact that I'm still in bed, it's before 10:00 a.m. and I haven't had my first cup of coffee yet, so I cannot be responsible for anything I say. Guess we'll be playing phone tag today. You're it." She hit the end button and slid the phone back on the night table. Since she was awake, she might as well get the coffee started. Slipping her sweater on over the oversized t-shirt she wore to bed, she headed off for the kitchen.

Back in Horatio's office, Calleigh had expected her boss to be slightly impatient with the lack of progress in the robberies and subsequent murder, but he seemed remarkably calm. Calleigh watched as he discreetly checked his cell phone, he must have had it on vibrate, smile and put it back in his pocket. The process was repeated a minute later. She tried to catch Erik's eye, but he was looking at a file Ryan had handed him. Calleigh turned her attention back to the meeting, determined to find out who this woman was that could make her boss smile with a phone call.

_Monday morning, 10:30 a.m._

Horatio finally had a moment to himself. He shut his office door, and quickly got his voicemail. Smiling at the sound of Emily's voice, still somewhat sleepy, he listened to both messages and tried calling her back. He got her voicemail.

_Hey sweetheart. Call me. You're it._

Emily had decided on going for a run around the small lake she and Horatio circled on Saturday. She needed to do something. Just now, she didn't have the concentration to work on her braille project. Emily was locking the door when her cell rang in the bedroom.

Arriving home and glancing at the clock, Emily saw she would have to hurry to arrive at the **Book 'n Bean** on time for her shift. She was going to have to figure out what to say to Jean as well, knowing her friend would press until she got all the details.

Thirty minutes later she was gathering up her things to take with her and picked up her cell. She noticed she had another message. Deciding she would call him on her way to work, she quickly got her last cup of coffee to sip on the way and left the apartment.

She hit send as she waited for the light to change and once more got Horatio's voicemail.

"Hi, it's Emily. I'm on my way to work, so I won't be able to answer my phone once I'm there until 4:00. I'll have my cell on until I get to work at noon. You can call me – I can walk and talk at the same time. You're it."

_Monday, noon_

Emily took a deep breath before walking into the **Book 'n Bean**. Horatio had not called her back yet and she needed all her wits about her once Jean started asking questions.

"Hi Jean!" Emily waved to her friend as she headed back to the office. She was just pinning on her name tag when Jean entered and shut the door.

"Okay – Sally came in early so you and I could talk. I gave her instructions not to disturb us unless it is an emergency. You and I are going to have lunch in the office and I want ALL the details. I did bring you a coffee," she added offering Emily a tall cup, filled with coffee the color of chocolate milk.

"Thank you Jean. Er… just how much milk did you put in here?"

"Oh, about half milk, half coffee. That's how you drink it – light, no sugar."

"Good enough."

"OK – we are done with small talk. I want all of it, now." Jean sat down at the desk, and opened her brown bag lunch, offered Emily a peanut butter and miracle whip sandwich, saying "Look, I even brought your favorite!" Emily took it with a smile and in between bites, told Jean about her evening with the Lieutenant, glossing over the almost kiss at the play and the subsequent embrace at the beach. Jean had not said a word through the whole monologue and now she held up her hand.

"Wait. I'm confused. He took you to see the dolphins, at a place he has never taken anyone else, under that romantic moon, after a romantic play in which he held you in his arms for most of it, and you are telling me it was just a kiss?" Emily knew she was blushing furiously. "Oh, no, Emily. That was not 'just a kiss'. That sounds like a man in love, my dear. I'd say the Lieutenant has fallen for you, hard." Emily looked down at what was left of the sandwich in her hand.

"Jean, that can't be true. We hardly know each other. We went running together a couple times, we had a date on the beach, went for a drive and ended up watching the dolphins. Maybe it was just a reaction to the atmosphere of the place…." Her voice trailed off. She could tell Jean was unconvinced. "Maybe …. I haven't … been with anyone like that since Kevin died. You said the Lieutenant's wife died two years ago and he's been alone. Maybe… we were just two lonely people who needed some … physical contact."

"Not buying it Em. It was special and whatever happened when he kissed you, he knew it and I think you know it too. I won't say anymore, but Em, if you need to talk, I'm here. And for the record, it sounds like you care about him and he is a good man from everything I've gathered. Give yourselves a chance, OK?"

Emily nodded and gave her friend a hug, saying, "Thanks, Jean. I'll go see how Sally is doing."

_Monday afternoon, 2:00 p.m._

Horatio got back to his office after a late morning call out. He quickly checked his voicemail and saw he had a message from Emily. Checking his calendar, he saw he had a 3:30 budget meeting that had the potential to last several hours. He hit the send and left her a voicemail.

_Hey sweetheart. I'm tied up in meetings here until after 5:00. I want to see you. Let me know when you get off work and I'll pick up dinner. Call me. You're it. H_.

Knowing he wouldn't hear from her for the rest of the afternoon, he sat down and concentrated on the files and paperwork he would need for this afternoons' meeting.

Sally got back from her break a little after 4:00 and Emily quickly went back to check her messages. Sure enough, he had called. She smiled when she heard he wanted to have dinner.

"Hi, it's Emily. I'll be home about 8:30. You're it."

_Monday evening, 7:30 p.m_.

Horatio put down the file he had been reading and stared out the window, running his hands through his hair. He looked at his watch and decided he had enough for today. He was looking forward to seeing Emily. As he was tidying up his desk, he wondered what he should pick up for dinner. There was so much he didn't know about her. He was looking forward to finding all of it out if she would let him and he was pretty sure he could think of one thing that would bring a smile to her face tonight.

Horatio locked his office door and left the Crime Lab intent on his errands.

At last, it was 8:00. Emily locked the front door and quickly finished up the counting of the till and locking it in the safe. Calling out to Sally, she gathered up her things and the women left the building, Emily setting the alarm on her way out. She and Sally said good-bye and Emily set off at a quick pace, anxious to get home before Horatio arrived. She made it home in record time, but not soon enough. When Emily crossed the street and cut through the back parking lot behind her building, there was Horatio, leaning against the hood of his car, arms folded across his chest, sunglasses hiding his eyes, as he watched her walk toward him.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

5

Chapter 8 – **Mrs. Jenson and Mr. Opterhoste**

_Monday evening, 8:20 pm_

"Hey you!" Emily smiled and waved as she approached him. Other than a small smile, Horatio made no move to greet her. She slowed down and came to a stop a few feet in front of him, slightly out of breath from her rush to get home.

"You walked home from work." Horatio was doing his best to keep his temper. The thought of her walking home from work every evening made him fear for her safety. He knew he was handling this badly, however, as he had waited for her, scenarios had been running through his mind in which she lay injured or worse, while he had no idea she was in trouble.

"Well, today I kind of ran home, because I wanted to get here before you …" she trailed off. "Horatio, what is this about?" Emily was beginning to get concerned, it seemed their first fight was about to come very close on the heels of their first kiss.

"Don't you have a vehicle?" he questioned, his voice quiet, and she could see his blue eyes looking over the lenses of his sunglasses which had slid down the bridge of his nose. The look he was giving her made her feel like a particularly nasty piece of evidence under his microscope.

Emily looked at him over the tops of her sunglasses. Well, two can play that game. Childish, yes, she acknowledged that, but he wasn't being very adult either. "Yes, I do, and I'm guessing you being the expert CSI you are, already know the answer to that question. It's the Moonlight Blue Mustang just to your right, Minnesota plates." Emily was confused; he seemed angry with her, but she was uncertain what she had done wrong. His phone messages hadn't hinted that he was upset with her.

"And why aren't you driving it?" she saw one eyebrow tilt upwards.

"Because I don't want to. I like to walk.." Emily was getting angry and suddenly the words of her grandmother floated through her head about getting more flies with honey. She stopped and took a deep breath. Removing her sunglasses, she moved closer to him and smiled.

"Look Horatio. I didn't grow up here. Give me a two-lane rural highway, with fully loaded logging trucks whizzing back and forth at 90 miles an hour, deer crossing the road left and right leaping from ditches, and I'm cool with that. No problems, I can get from A to B without so much as a deer losing a tuft of her tail fur." Judging from the slight relaxation of his stern smile, she saw it was working. "But after one afternoon of trying to get to Jean's house in Miami traffic in 100 degree heat and horns blowing and dodging construction and beach traffic, I decided I was better off walking … and so were the citizens of Miami," she added. He was beginning to crumble, she could see he was trying to hide a grin and waited to hear what he had to say next.

"Logging trucks hmmm..?" Horatio could not stay angry with her. Visions of Emily in her blue car, golden hair flying out the window, whizzing in and out of deer and trucks on a highway went through his mind like a video game. He almost laughed. He knew he was being overprotective, and clearly she was not going to give in without a fight.

"Did I mention there was a snowstorm?" she added helpfully. Now he did laugh and Emily let out a sigh and smiled back at him in return. "Umm … we seem to have an audience." She had seen curtains from windows in her building twitching as her neighbors watched the two people in the parking lot. "But, I should warn you, elderly Mrs. Jenson, who lives below me, said you are a fine young man, and you have a pretty cute …. er backside and I should do my best to keep you … interested." She saw a blush beginning to rise up his cheeks. So she went on. "And Mr. Opterhoste, who lives next to me, informed me the whole place would be much safer if you moved in to our building, preferably with me. He'd like to have an officer of the law living next door to him." She watched as he blushed harder, enjoying herself immensely.

Horatio pushed himself away from the car, and went around the side to reach in the open window. Emily watched him, hoping it was dinner. It was better than dinner.

"Peace offering." He held out a tall plastic cup filled with ice and pale brown liquid, and a straw.

"Oh… Thank you!" She took a dainty sip after he handed it to her. "Nectar of the gods." She said reverently and then her stomach rumbled loudly, spoiling the effect. Horatio laughed and would have taken her in his arms right then and there, except he was a bit afraid to separate her from her latte.

"Ok, dinner next I think." He gathered up the bag and they set off for the stairs up to her apartment, murmuring to her softly, "to be continued my dear." She peeped up at him from lowered lashes. He didn't seem angry any more, but he did sound pretty serious.

Once inside her apartment, Horatio took the bag to the kitchen, offering to set the table while Emily headed in to her bedroom to change from her work clothes. She could hear him opening drawers and cabinets and quickly surveyed her choices. She opted for her slate blue ankle-length sundress, with slits up the sides to expose her shapely legs when she walked and a tie in the back to pull the fabric in snuggly around her slight curves. Taking a quick look in the mirror, she decided to leave her hair up and went out to see what was for dinner. She stopped in disbelief when she saw her kitchen table.

Two candles bathed the table in an intimate glow and she could just make out a small bouquet of flowers. The wonderful aroma of garlic bread and basil filled the room. Emily saw two wineglasses on the table and heard the pop of a wine cork. She watched as he materialized by the table, and poured their wine, enjoying the way he looked with his suit jacket off, sleeves rolled up and the first few buttons of his shirt near his collar undone. Her fingers itched to mess up his beautiful red hair – just a little.

"Wow!" Horatio looked up at Emily's softly spoken approval.

"You approve?" Speechless, she nodded and watched wide-eyed as he set the wine-bottle down and came over to where she stood.

"I must say, I approve also." Horatio smiled as he took her hands in his. "You look beautiful," he murmured, pulling her closer. "But there is something I'd like to do."

"Yes?" Emily was completely surprised by this turn of events, not sure what he meant.

"I like your hair down. May I?" Emily nodded, not realizing she was holding her breath as he reached behind her and gently removed the clip from her hair. Horatio watched as it fell past her shoulders in a shining golden sheet. Reaching behind her, he ran his fingers through the silky mass, loosening it and finished by carefully tucking the stray strands behind her ears. "Keep it down, for me?" he asked her shyly, his moonlight blue eyes glancing down at the floor than back to hers.

"OK." Emily squeaked. This man continued to surprise her.

"Thank you," he said sincerely and dropped a quick kiss on her surprised mouth. Taking her by the hand, he said, "Let's eat."

Emily had never had such a wonderful dinner. Horatio had chosen a wonderful white zinfandel wine, bruchetta, a salad and margarita pizza for their meal. Enya's _Shepherd Moons_ was playing on her stereo in the background. 'She could get so used to this' Emily thought, watching the flicker of candlelight dance in his eyes. They lingered over desert, tiramisu.

"How did you know that is my favorite?" she asked him, watching as he brought the plate over to the table.

"Coffee and cocoa are two of the ingredients. I didn't think I could go wrong there Sweetheart." He chuckled.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked, digging into the luscious desert, not waiting for his answer. He watched her as he sipped his wine. "Only to those who care about you, Em." He said softly. She looked up at him and smiled shyly. "Horatio, I care about you too." She watched as his blue eyes darkened and they gazed at each other for some moments. He sighed and said softly,

"Emily, I don't want to spoil the mood but we have to talk. Why don't you go relax and I'll clear up in here." Horatio needed a few moments to figure out how he wanted to explain his concerns. It was too distracting to have her sitting so close to him.

She sighed and offered to help. Getting a negative shake of the head from him, she took her wine and went out on the small deck. The stars were out and she could hear the distant boom of the surf pounding on the shore. Her thoughts drifted to the beach the night before and the kisses they had shared in the moonlight. Emily sensed this "talk" had something to do with what had happened last night. She wondered if he would kiss her tonight?

The object of her thoughts joined her on the deck just then. His hair was tousled, he must have run his hands through it, she thought, wanting very badly to do it herself. Light from the living room spilled out onto the deck and Horatio leaned against the rail and looked at her. He took a deep breath.

"Emily, I wanted to see you tonight to make sure you were OK … with… what happened last night." She looked at him, suddenly afraid she had misread his actions. Some of her concern must have been reflected in her golden eyes, because Horatio gave a soft groan and moved closer to her. "Sweetheart, I don't regret a moment of last night." He looked away out to the darkness for a moment. When he spoke, it was as if he were looking at someone she couldn't see. "I … It's been a long time since I've … wanted to be … to have…" he trailed off. Taking a deep breath, Horatio looked back to her, his blue eyes sad, "When Marisol, my wife, died, I told myself I didn't want or need another woman in my life. I caused them too much pain. For two years I did pretty good. Then you crashed into my life and I found myself wanting to know more about you, to know what it feels like to hold you and kiss you. After last night," Emily blushed when she saw the possessive gleam in his eyes, "I knew I couldn't go back to the way I had been. I didn't think it was possible to care about someone so much in such a short period of time, Emily, but I do." He glanced away from her quickly, then back, the uncertain look in his eyes so touching that it was all she could do not to throw her arms around him and tell him she loved him.

Emily reached over and touched his arm, saying his name softly. "Horatio, I feel the same way," she said simply. The expression in those blue eyes told her he still was unconvinced and she put her wineglass down on the railing and gently put her hands on either side of his face, her fingers stroking his temples. He stood perfectly still, eyes never wavering from hers, "I've been alone for a long time too. I never wanted to care about someone else after Kevin died. Then I looked into your moonlight blue eyes and I couldn't look away. I just need some time to process this, Horatio." He swallowed and nodded. Emily leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips.

Horatio moved to take her in his arms, but she stepped nimbly out of his way and leaned back against the railing, saying, "No, we still have another matter to discuss. One in which I don't understand why you were upset with me." She tried to keep the hurt out of her voice, but didn't quite succeed.

He sighed, ran his hands through his red hair and said, "Emily, I'm concerned with you walking back and forth to your job. I don't want to scare you Sweetheart," he took one of her hands in his, "but I see too many people who think they are safe become the victims of a crime."

She sighed and gazed at him, trying to find the words to let him know she would be okay.

"Horatio, if I hadn't run into you, I would continue to walk back and forth to work, and I would never know if it was dangerous or not. I won't change what I do just because you have too much information. If there was a threat you knew would affect me, then I would do something differently, but for now, I feel perfectly safe." Emily held his gaze, her golden eyes earnest.

"I could tell you I won't let you walk to work. I will drive you or I will get an officer to take you," he said quietly.

"You can't order me around or tell me what to do." Emily moved a step away from him and looked away into the darkness. "I'm a grown woman Horatio, in case you haven't noticed." She looked sideways at him.

"I've noticed Sweetheart. And that's why I worry." He sighed and said, "Please look at me Emily. I… I don't want to argue with you." She met his look squarely.

"Neither do I Horatio. But you have to accept that I can make my own choices for my own reasons." He was silent for a minute.

"How about a compromise?" he asked her.

"I'm listening."

"I'm serious Emily. You promise, promise me that you will always carry your cell phone," he paused as she nodded slowly, then went on, "You call me immediately if you see something the least suspicious or if it makes you uncomfortable." She nodded again. "Ok, and last but not least, you tell me if you are going to vary your route to and from work, or the hours you work. Just," he held up a hand as she started to protest, "so I can find out where you are if something ever were to happen. Agreed?"

Emily thought it over for a few moments. It sounded reasonable, and he was making an effort. She looked at him, "Agreed. But Horatio," she added softly, "you aren't the only one worrying you know. You have a dangerous job. I worry about you too." Emily could tell by his expression, he had not thought of that.

He said softly, "It's been a long while since anyone worried about me Emily."

"I know." She said simply.

This time when he moved to take her into his arms, she did not step away. It was quiet for some time as Horatio and Emily re-learned what they had discovered last night on the beach. Mr. Opterhoste was out on his balcony next door and had been listening to the low voices. He smiled to himself when it became silent, except for an occasional sigh. 'Good of that young lady to take their advice. Her red-haired young man was quite the gentleman, he would take good care of her. He would have to tell Mrs. Jenson all about this evening when he met her for breakfast at the corner coffee shop.'

_Monday evening, 11:00 p.m_.

Once again, Emily stood in the window and watched Horatio as he got into his car, waved to her and pulled out of the parking lot. She missed him already. She had told him she needed to get some of her braille project done over the next couple days and they had agreed on dinner Friday. Emily was hoping she would see him before that, Friday seemed like a long ways away.

Someone once said, "Be careful what you wish for." And Emily would soon find out the truth in that statement.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – **Sleepless in Miami**

_Tuesday morning, 10:30 am_

Emily looked at her phone. Before leaving the night before, Horatio had taken it and programmed his number in, speed dial 1. Handing it back to her, he had reminded her, "You call me whenever you need to Emily. I mean it." His expression was serious as he added softly, "Business or pleasure." She had blushed to her hairline and looked down at her phone.

"OK, but Horatio, what am I going to tell Grandma?" She looked up at him, blush fading, dimple showing in her cheek as she said,

"You just moved my 80-year-old grandmother from my speed dial 1. Oh, are you ever going to get a piece of her mind when she finds out."

"Where does Grandma live?" he had asked her curiously.

"Grandma runs the resort at home in Minnesota," she had answered, "but she and I talk about once a week or so. I called her Sunday night after you left." Emily said cheekily.

"Oh, and what was the subject of that conversation, I wonder?" he had asked smoothly, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall. Emily's dimple appeared again.

"A certain red-haired, moonlight blue-eyed Lieutenant who can be a bit accident prone but makes up for it in other ways."

"I think I'd like to meet Grandma," he said silkily, reaching for her.

"Oh, and Grandma would love to meet you. You would blush if I told you what she said when I described you to her. She is concerned though, that you might be taking advantage of her favorite granddaughters' trusting nature." She had put her hands on his chest as he drew her into his arms, smiling up at him.

"Oh, I would never make that mistake," Horatio had said softly, his eyes once more on her lips, "but I would like to kiss said granddaughter again, if I have permission, of course."

"Of course." Emily had answered rather breathlessly, shivering as his lips asked permission in their own way until she gave in to them with a soft sigh.

Emily shook her head, as if that would clear the memory of his kisses from her mind. 'Get a grip girl' she told herself sternly. 'You have a deadline to meet for your braille work, the students are counting on you.' She heard her coffee pot beep, signaling all was well and ready for a cup. As she stood on the deck, sipping the delicious brew, Horatio once again intruded on her thoughts. She really would like to do something nice for him. He had made sure she had a wonderful time Sunday night and his thoughtfulness last evening touched her. Emily was certain that the compromise they had reached regarding her walk to work and back had been difficult for Horatio to accept. He was used to getting his way, though she suspected not many people argued with him. She smiled to herself and finished her coffee before heading in for another cup to sip while getting ready for work.

_Tuesday afternoon, 2:00 pm_

Horatio had spent the morning and lunch hour going over the evidence his team had assembled on various cases. While he enjoyed being in the lab, he was careful not to do too much looking over shoulders. His team was top-notch and didn't require or particularly want him drifting about in the labs. He made sure that they all felt comfortable coming to him when they were stuck at a crossroads or appeared to run into a dead-end in a case. His open-door policy was widely known. However, for the moment, his office door was clearly closed. Horatio stared unseeingly out the glass that made up the walls of 3 sides of his office. Emily kept intruding into his thoughts as soon as he stopped thinking about work. If he shut his eyes he could see her laughing eyes, feel the touch of her fingers as they tentatively found their way into the open collar of his shirt, hear her soft sighs as she returned his kisses. Horatio looked at his phone lying on his desk. He wanted to hear the sound of her voice, but in light of the conversation they had regarding her walking to work, he was afraid she might construe a call as him checking up on her. Sighing, he decided to wait a while longer.

_Tuesday evening, 8:20 pm_

"Thank you. Please come again." Emily said sweetly and locked the door behind the tourist couple, who had wandered in 2 minutes before closing. "When we are open" she muttered as she leaned against the door and rolled her eyes at Sally. Wearily pushing herself away from the door, she told Sally, "I'll just be a minute putting the drawer in the safe and then we're out of here." Two minutes later, Emily was setting the alarm and locking the door from the outside. The two women said good-bye and went off in different directions. It was incredibly warm tonight and Emily wished she had taken the time to put her ponytail in a clip up off her neck. There was no chance she would see Horatio tonight, so she could put it up. She smiled in spite of her tiredness as she remembered his request that she leave her hair down. It wasn't until she had arrived home and was fishing out her key that she realized she had left her phone on the customer service counter at the store. She could only hope Horatio didn't try to call her this evening. Opening the door to her silent apartment she once again wished she had a pet to welcome her home.

_Tuesday night, 11:00 pm_

Horatio ran his hand through his hair for the fifth time in as many minutes. 'Where was she?' he wondered, looking at the phone in his hand. He had been calling since 8:30 and getting nothing but her voicemail. Various scenarios were running through his brain, none of them good. It was probably nothing. She probably was completely involved in the braille project she had mentioned and simply didn't hear the phone. Though he didn't buy it, it did sound better than the alternatives his mind was churning out. Sighing, he put the phone down and went out on the deck. Maybe some fresh air would clear his head. Horatio was pretty certain he would not sleep tonight if he didn't have an answer, yet he felt there was nothing he could do but wait. Not something he did well, he thought ruefully. Judging by the way she reacted to his request that she no longer walk back and forth to work, she would not appreciate him knocking on her door tonight, checking up on her. He ran his hands through his hair again, wondering what could possibly have happened. It was going to be a _very_ long night.

Emily sat up and stretched. She had been hard at work on her braille project since 9:00. Looking ahead in the book, she noticed that there was a great deal of chemistry in the upcoming chapter. 'Ugh,' she thought. 'I knew I should have taken at least a basic chem course.' She got up and went over to see if she had a few drops left in her coffee pot. A quick glance at the clock on her stove told her she had a couple of hours left to work. While her coffee was heating in the microwave, she went out to stand on the deck, letting the warm night air swirl around her. Without her concentration on the braille dots, her thoughts quickly went to Horatio. Had anyone told her six months ago that she would be living in Miami and dating a man she had literally run into on the beach, she would have never believed it. Those kinds of scenarios only happened in the movies. Yet, here she was and that man she had run into was showing up nightly in her dreams. She pinched herself on the arm. 'I'm still in Miami' she said softly as her microwave signaled her coffee was hot. Fortified by the warm brew, she pulled up her chair and gathered her thoughts once more into the braille code. Soon the all that could be heard was the sound of Emily's fingers tapping out dot formations on the keyboard she had hooked up to her laptop.

_Wednesday morning, 5:00 am_

Looking at the clock for the fourth time in an hour, Horatio decided he might as well get up. He doubted he had slept more than 15 minutes all night. Outside the birds were chirping in anticipation of the coming day. As he stood in his kitchen, watching the coffee brew, he came to a decision. If he could not get Emily on the phone by 10:30 he would go down to the bookstore and see just what was going on. He didn't think she would ignore his calls. After all, he had given in to her wish to walk to work and back. The compromise they had reached was more than fair. If anyone had told him six months ago he would run into a woman on the beach and find himself caring this deeply for her, he would not have believed it. Needing to do something, Horatio decided on a run to clear his head before he got ready to go in to the office. Once his mind was made up, he set off in the opposite direction of Emily's apartment, trying to get away from the thoughts that had been haunting him all night.

_Wednesday morning, 10:30 am_

The first few bars of _Take Me Out to the Ballgame_ sounding from beneath the counter into the quiet of the store startled Jean. When it sounded again, she did some further exploring and discovered Emily's cell phone. Curious, she turned it over and saw the call was from a certain blue-eyed Lieutenant. Impulsively, she answered it.

Horatio was just about to hang up when the phone clicked and he heard a woman's voice answer. It wasn't Emily. Fearing the worst, he used his best interrogation voice and asked sharply,

"May I ask who's speaking, please." The fear he had been squashing all night rose to the surface and he dragged his hand through his hair yet again.

"Lieutenant Caine?"

"This is Horatio Caine. May I ask who's answering Emily's phone and what do you know of her whereabouts?" he repeated, absolutely sure something had gone terribly wrong.

"I'm assuming home. Probably just getting up, but then you are aware of that," answered the female voice, not so friendly this time. "It's not my day to watch her," the voice added tartly.

"Who is this?" he almost shouted in frustration.

"Jean, of the **Book 'n Bean**," came the singsong voice.

Horatio took a deep breath and tried to calm down. At last, he was getting somewhere. Vaguely, he remembered Emily talking about her friend Jean, who owned the bookstore where she was working.

"Jean, this is Lieutenant Horatio Caine." Horatio repeated in frustration. "I've been trying to reach Emily. Are you saying she's not there?"

"Yes, that is correct," answered the pert voice. "I would imagine she will be here at her usual time, say around noon." The voice was becoming less frosty.

"Why do you have her cell phone? Are you sure nothing happened there last night when she closed? I haven't been able to reach her since last night."

"Well, Lieutenant, everything looked fine here this morning when I opened. It would appear that Emily left here late last night, the alarm was set at 8:25. I think she forgot to grab her cell, it was under the counter beneath some papers. I didn't know it was there until it rang. Can I give her a message when she comes in this afternoon?"

"No, thank you. I will stop by and see her later," he said somewhat more calmly.

"Her lunch break is at 4:00." Jean said helpfully. "I've got a customer, Lieutenant. Is there anything else I can do for you?" the voice almost chirped.

"No, no. I'll stop by later."

"Bye." Jean set the phone down with a smile. No doubt her friend was in big hot water with the Lieutenant. Judging by his voice, the Lieutenant had fallen pretty hard for her friend. There would be fireworks when those two met today.

Horatio set the phone down and stared at it for a few moments. Then he put his head in his hands and that was how his medical examiner found him ten minutes later.

_Wednesday morning, 11:35 am_

Emily bounced down the stairs, her work bag bulging with her laptop and her Minnesota Twins travel mug firmly in hand, filled with her morning coffee she enjoyed on her walk to work. She was stopped by elderly Mrs. Jenson at the bottom of the stairs.

"Good morning, Mrs. Jenson. How are you today?" Emily stopped and attempted to dig her sunglasses from her totebag.

"Let me hold that for you dear. I'm just fine."

The elderly lady reached for Emily's coffee and she surrendered it, saying, "Thank you, not enough hands I guess." Finding her sunglasses, Emily slipped them on and reached for her coffee. "Can I pick anything up for you today, Mrs. Jenson?"

"Well, yes dear. I'm out of Mr. Toodles special cat food. You know, those cute little cans with the yummy sounding names? I have regular cat food, but he does enjoy that as a treat now and then. Could you pick some more up for me? You did say there was a pet shop near the book store where you worked, if it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"No, Mrs. Jenson, no trouble." Emily smiled. "I'd be happy to stop and pick it up for you. I wouldn't want Mr. Toodles to miss his treat. Would you like me to drop it off with you after work? I might not be back home until 8:45 or so. This heat seems to make people come into the store and browse, and not want to leave."

"That would be fine dear. You should ask that nice young man to give you a ride home from work when it gets so late. I don't think it's good for you to be out walking alone so late." Inwardly Emily groaned. She had better not let Horatio and Mrs. Jenson get to talking, she'd be outnumbered for sure.

"I've got to run Mrs. Jenson. I'll see you tonight." After giving the elderly lady a wave of her hand, she dashed down the sidewalk, laptop bumping against her side in her haste.

"Horatio?" Dr. Alexx Woods stood in the doorway of his office. He had not answered her repeated raps on his door. It was odd that his door was shut when he was expecting her. No sound was coming from his office and she decided to try the door. As it swung open at her touch, she said his name again, "Horatio, it's Alexx."

When she saw her friend, she quickly shut the door and went to him, kneeling beside him, saying his name again. "Horatio, are you all right?" She almost gasped when he lifted his head. Dark circles beneath his eyes told of a sleepless night and deep lines by his eyes and mouth told a story of their own. His blue eyes were dark and he stared at her, not saying a word, as she searched his face and gently took his hands in hers.

"Horatio, what's wrong? You need to tell me sugar." Her soft, maternal voice slowly brought him back to the present. The relief he had felt at hearing that Emily was probably OK had been short lived. In its place had come all the guilt he felt because he'd failed to protect the ones he loved, or who loved him. He had seen Emily's name at the bottom of that long, ever-growing list. He shook his head as if to clear his mind of the disturbing image and slowly focused on Alexx. He remembered asking her to meet him in his office this morning, but couldn't remember for what.

"Alexx, why are you here?" he asked her softly. She smiled, knowing how much a question like that cost him. Rubbing her hands over his, she answered,

"You wanted to go over a report, but I think we have something more important to discuss here." When he looked like he was about to protest, she held up a finger and said, "Oh, no, Horatio. By the looks of you, you had one heck of a night, and you need to talk. So," she said, looking him squarely in the eyes, her voice like warm syrup with an edge of steel behind it, "I am not leaving this office until you tell me exactly what's going on," she finished.

_Wednesday afternoon, 2:00 pm_

Jean was gathering up her things, getting ready to leave for the day. She looked around to make sure no one was within earshot, and said softly, "Call me if you need to Emily. I'll be home all evening. Good luck."

Emily watched as Jean left. She felt very alone. Arriving at the book store, several minutes late, Emily found Jean waiting for her near the door. She had quickly handed Emily her cell phone and related her earlier conversation with Horatio. Emily took the phone and practically ran to the office, quite sure this was going to be far worse than the little "discussion" of last Monday evening in the parking lot. She was almost relieved when it rolled over to voicemail.

"Horatio, I … Jean told me you called. I'm at work. Call me. Please." She sat there for a moment and then played the eight messages from the previous evening. Emily sighed. This was not good at all. Horatio sounded more and more upset and angry with each message. He would never forgive her. Slowly she put her things away and got ready for her shift. Locking the office door, she went straight up to the service counter, not bothering to stop for a coffee as usual.

Jean had looked at her sympathetically. "He'll understand Em." Emily shook her head, fearing tears weren't far away if this matter was discussed too much.

"Phone?" Emily patted the pocket of her denim skirt.

Blinking her eyes, Emily told herself she had to just concentrate on work and worry about Horatio when he called or arrived. She figured she had until 4:00 at the latest. Taking a deep breath, she checked the floor of the store, then settled in with her laptop and braille work. Before she knew it, Sally was at the counter.

"Emily?" At the sound of Sally's voice, Emily jumped and her face went white as a ghost.

"Hey Em are you OK?" she asked, concerned. "Yes, I'm fine, Sally." Emily got down from the stool, and looked at her phone. The time was 3:45. "I just lost track of time that's all. Umm… I need to go pick something up for a neighbor before I grab some dinner. Could you watch the counter for me?"

"Sure. How's it been?" After a few minutes of chitchat, Emily fled to the back room and retrieved her money, then locked the door. She waved to Sally on the way out and went next door to the pet shop.

The door bell shells made a little tingling sound as she went inside. Not seeing Mr. Green, the owner at the counter, she called out, "Mr. Green, its Emily from next door. I need some more of those fancy cans of cat treats for my neighbor." Walking deeper into the small store, she still didn't see him. "Mr. Green, are you back cleaning cages?" The store seemed different, Emily was looking carefully around her, the gerbils and hamsters were running back and forth in their small cages, not playing in their wheels as usual. She was beginning to get scared. Taking out her phone, she had just flipped it open when she smelled smoke. At the same time, she saw Mr. Green, lying on the floor, smoke curling out from under the door of his grooming salon. She couldn't tell if he was breathing. A quick glance around did not reveal a fire extinguisher. It was getting smokier by the moment.

She ran to the front door and dialed 911, giving the address. Quickly hanging up over the protests of the operator, she hit the speed dial 1 and heard Horatio answer.

"Horatio," she began coughing, the smoke getting in her mouth as she spoke. "Fire … pet shop." She dropped her phone in her skirt pocket and went to find Mr. Green, trying to remember the fire safety she'd learned in her safety awareness class. Her mind worked frantically as she tugged Mr. Green across the floor, she had no idea if she would make a bigger fire if she opened the door, but she had to get him outside. And what about the animals?

Reaching the door, she bent down and grabbed the pet shop owner under the arms and closed her eyes, said a little prayer and opened the door only as far as she needed to drag him out.

There were enough people about that she caught their attention. Almost immediately two passers-by had taken the shopkeeper from her and she could hear the whine of the sirens in the distance. Common sense told her to wait outside, but the thought of the poor animals, in their cages and unable to do anything but wait for the fire to consume them, overrode her common sense. She slipped back inside the store, intent on opening the bird cages and grabbing the few small dogs and kittens in the store windows.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 – **Ashes, ashes we all fall down**

_Wednesday afternoon, 3:55 pm_

A much calmer Horatio was in the Hummer, heading for the bookstore to see Emily on her dinner break. He had had a long chat with Alexx. Typical of her, she had coaxed the whole story out of him, listened carefully, then sat back and smiled at her friend.

"It looks like someone has finally found the key to open the door of that prison cell you built for yourself Horatio. The question is, are you going to come out and enjoy your freedom?"

"Alexx, I tried … Emily is a free spirit … sooner or later she is going to resent all the … limitations that come with a … relationship with me."

'Don't you think she should have a say in this relationship as well, Horatio?' Alexx had asked, arching her eyebrows at him.

"What if I can't protect her?" he had countered softly.

"She's lost a spouse Horatio, and gotten through it. She sounds like she's … capable of looking after herself. And, though you want to protect her, you have to accept that she may not want protection – and respect it." He had looked away from her, staring unseeing out the window.

Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel while he waited at the red light, Horatio knew Alexx was right. He just wished he knew how he was going to accept it and not go crazy with worry in the process. The ringing of his cell a moment later brought him back to the present. Answering it with the hands free option, he heard Emily's voice, caught the word Fire and then could make out nothing but the sound of her coughing.

Once back inside the pet shop, Emily went to the bird cages and opened the doors. She had no idea if the birds would leave their cages and fly out of the shop, but she needed to give them a chance to escape. It was getting harder and harder to see in the smoke. She went to the hamsters and gerbils next, feeling her way around the cages to the handle at the top of each one.

"One, … two … three … four." She counted under breath and quickly carried them to the door and opened it, setting the cages onto the sidewalk, hoping the birds would see the open door and make their way out. Emily vaguely heard shouts, but chose to ignore them, slipping inside the store once more. Her throat burned with every breath and she went immediately to the other side of the store where 3 dachshund puppies and 2 kittens were in cages by the windows.

A brief vision of Emily lying lifeless on the floor flashed in front of his eyes before Horatio hit the lights and the Hummer sped up, reaching the book shop a minute later. Judging by the gathering crowd outside the pet shop, he had found the fire. Horatio flashed his badge and made his way quickly through the crowd. He felt the door. It felt warm to his touch and gingerly he opened it just a crack.

"Emily?" he shouted her name, hoping she would appear out of the smoke. When she didn't, Horatio opened the door and went inside the shop shouting, "Emily, where are you? Emily?"

_Wednesday afternoon, 4:00 pm._

Emily had taken off her long sleeved shirt, and using it as a sling quickly scooped up the two mewling kittens and put them in the improvised basket. She was moving over to the dachshunds when she heard Horatio's voice. Turning she could just make out his form through the smoke. She saw the fire creeping closer, separating her from the door. She grabbed one puppy and called "Horatio! I'm over here." Turning back to the cage, Emily felt around for the second puppy, finally locating it beneath the shavings covering the bottom of the cage.

He was relieved to hear her voice and started towards her. Where, he wondered, was the sprinkler system? It should have been raining in here by now. Emily was just turning back to the window for the last puppy when Horatio touched her arm. It was all he could do not to take her into his arms right then and there. Instead, he shouted, "We need to get out of here now!" and gave her arm a tug. She was methodically searching the bottom of the cage with her other hand for the last puppy and shook her head.

Her throat raw from smoke, Emily tried to answer him, "Not yet, I need to find the last one."

"Emily, we need to get out of here." Horatio had felt the heat of the flames in front of him and realized their escape route was blocked. He leaned close to her, "Is there another way out, back there?" He pointed to the display window. Finally locating the third puppy cowering in the corner, she pulled it out and tried to add it to her bulging shirt, while answering him with a negative shake of her head. It hurt too much to speak.

Horatio was looking around in the smoky darkness. He couldn't see well enough to get an idea of the layout of the room. The flames were now licking the floor directly in front of their feet. He touched Emily's arm to get her attention and pointed in the direction of the front of the store, motioning her to follow him. Clutching her wriggling shirt full of puppies and kittens, Emily finally realized the danger as she glimpsed the flames flickering in front of them. She focused on Horatio's back and quickly they made it to the front of the store. Their exit was still blocked by the flames however. It was then she remembered the fish tank.

Touching Horatio's back with her elbow, she motioned him to come closer when he turned to look at her. When he leaned his head towards her, she rasped, "Fish tank, water left." He nodded that he understood and quickly felt his way to the left. Sure enough, it was a 100 gallon tank on a stand. He turned back to her, smiling in spite of the danger they were in.

"Good girl. When I tip it over, you run for the door." He sensed she was beginning to tire and was probably getting weak from the lack of fresh air. "You can do it. On three, OK?" He encouraged her. Emily gave him a weak nod, she could feel one of the puppies squirming its way out of her makeshift basket and tried to tighten her grip. She watched as Horatio moved over to the fish tank, put his shoulder to it and counted.

"One, two, three." He shoved with all his might and after teetering just a moment, the tank tipped, sending its contents spilling toward the door. Emily froze.

He looked over at her and saw that she hadn't moved. "Emily!" He reached for her and at the touch of his hand around her waist, her feet at last began to move and they ran side by side across the slippery floor, bursting out into the sunlight just as the first responders arrived on the scene.

_Wednesday afternoon, 4:05 pm_

Horatio half carried, half dragged Emily through the crowd and across the street to the tree-lined boulevard, his only thought to get her away from the smoke and flames. She needed to be looked at by an EMT. He cast a worried glance at her. She had not said a word, just clutched the wriggling shirt of puppies and kittens to her chest protectively.

"Medic, over here please." He switched over to his crime scene mode, partly due to his training and partly so he could push down the panic he was feeling over seeing Emily's reaction to their escape from the flames.

She was aware of Horatio finding her a spot on the bench in the shade, and gently easing her down on it. He was shouting something, but her brain was too foggy to know if he was yelling at her or someone else. She only knew it hurt to breathe and she was terribly tired. Though she wanted to let go of the puppies and kittens she held, her arms didn't seem to want to unclench themselves from around her bundle.

Easing down on his haunches in front of her, Horatio gently touched her face, tipping her chin up so he could look into those hazel eyes.

"Look at me sweetheart. Look at me Emily. Come on sweetheart." Slowly, Emily's eyes focused as his voice broke through the fog in her brain. She saw those beautiful blue eyes full of worry and concern looking into hers and the numbness began to leave her as reaction set in.

"Let me have your shirt sweetheart. Some people are here to take the animals. You got them out safely. Now let them go get checked out. OK? There's my girl." As he gently eased her shirt from her arms, a small dark head popped out and looked at them. The puppy quickly squirmed away and ran up Horatio's arm to hide in the shoulder of his suit jacket. As he moved to get the puppy, it nimbly turned and ran behind his neck, biting him his nape, as it ran beneath his suit jacket, headed for his other shoulder.

"Ouch!" He could feel the tiny claws through his shirt and once more those sharp puppy teeth latched onto his skin, this time his left ear.

Emily had been watching the whole scene as if on TV but now she began to laugh. She couldn't help it. He quickly glanced at her. She reached over and disengaged the puppy laughing all the while.

"I'm sorry, Horatio. But this bite wasn't my fault." And then as he took the puppy from her, she began to shake. Emily leaned over and put her face in her hands. She couldn't seem to stop shaking. She felt gentle hands lay his suit jacket over her and rub her back soothingly, heard his soft voice say her name again and again, asking her to look at him. Forcing herself to take a few deep breaths, though they hurt, she finally got herself under control and managed to look at him. Horatio was relieved to see her stop shaking, and said softly,

"Emily. Calleigh and Eric are here. I need to go talk to them. The EMT is going to check you out. Can you tell me what happened?" Her throat was parched and she could barely talk. "I'll be right back." Horatio disappeared and quickly returned with a bottle of water. "Little sips, now." And he held it up to her lips as if she were a child. Emily took a small sip and another before he set it down, picking up one of her hands and squeezing her fingers. The gesture reminded her of their car ride home from the beach last Sunday and she had to blink back tears. With her eyes on their linked fingers, she began,

"I… I went in … to get cat treats for … Mrs. Jenson ... Mr. Green …. Mr. Green …" she faltered, remembering how he had looked lying on the ground. She felt Horatio squeeze her fingers again, and she swallowed. He offered her some more water and received a small smile in return.

"You found Mr. Green lying on the ground, where?" he asked her, helping her get back her train of thought. She frowned. "By the door to the grooming salon in the back of the building," she remembered. "And then I smelled smoke. I didn't … it was coming under the grooming salon door… I didn't see a … fire extinguisher… I pulled Mr. Green up to the front door. But I couldn't remember if I was supposed to open the door." She began to relive the experience and he squeezed her hand and soothed,

"Hey, you did great Emily. I'm going to see how Mr. Green is doing in a moment. But you were very brave and probably saved his life. Look at me sweetheart."

Emily looked at him, seeing the soot in his hair and on his face. His blue eyes were bright and she said, "I want very much to go home, take an hour long hot shower, drink a very large iced coffee and curl up under my comforter with those blue eyes of yours." Her hands flew to her suddenly hot cheeks, "You didn't hear that?" she asked hopefully. "My voice is kind of croaky. Maybe I meant to say 'blue isles of York'?" Judging by the rising blush in his cheeks, he did hear it.

"Loud and clear sweetheart. We'll discuss sleeping arrangements later." He looked at her a moment and dropped a gentle kiss on her surprised mouth, murmuring, "I'm going to find Eric and Calleigh. I'll send the EMT over to check you out. Be right back, sweetheart."

_Wednesday afternoon, 4:20 pm_

Across the street, Calleigh had been watching her boss and the woman on the bench. She hadn't been able to get a real good look at her, Horatio was keeping himself between her and any prying eyes. She smiled to herself as she saw him hold the woman's hand and kiss her. "I told you Eric. Look! I bet that's her!" She nudged Eric in the ribs, then quickly set about her work as she saw her boss turn and head towards them.

Emily watched as Horatio walked across the street to where his team members were beginning the long job of gathering evidence. His sunglasses had been around his neck the whole time and now he slipped them on as he went over to talk to Calleigh and Eric. His white shirt was singed a bit, and his hair was filled with soot. He had pushed his hands through it, only standing it more on end. He walked confidently, his badge clipped to one side of his waist, his ID and weapon on the other. The sight of the weapon made her shudder. She would never get used to guns. An EMT arrived and began to ask her questions and she lost sight of Horatio. As he looked her over for burns, she tried to find out where the puppies and kittens had been taken.

Horatio filled his team in on what he knew from his interview with Emily. While sketchy, they had some details, and he would make sure she came down to give a statement as soon as she was able.

"What was it like in there Horatio?" Calleigh asked, wondering if he would volunteer any information about the mystery woman. "Lots of smoke. Sprinklers never came on while we were in there. That will be something to look at Eric." Eric nodded and Calleigh's eyebrows went up at the word we. "Did you get hurt Horatio?" she asked, noticing several angry red marks on his nape and ear. He chuckled, "Just someone's way of saying 'Thank you' for rescuing them," he said mysteriously, changing the subject to more mundane crime scene matters.

Forty-five minutes later, Emily saw him start back over to where she sat. The EMT had checked her out and found nothing more serious than some minor burns and her sore throat and eyes. He had given her salve for the burns and drops for her eyes. She had refused his suggestion of going to the hospital. The next thing she did was find her cell phone in her pocket and call Jean. She hadn't seen Sally and Emily was hardly in any condition to close the store. A quick call revealed Jean was at the store, Sally having called her when Emily didn't return from her errand.

"Em, I've been so worried. Are you ok? Where are you? Do you need anything?"

"Slow down Jean," she said wearily. "I'm across the street on a park bench. It's a really long story. I'm OK. Was there any damage to your store?"

"No, nothing bad. We had some things fall down and there's a smoky smell inside. I'm trying to find out now how we get rid of it. We may need to close down for a day or two."

"OK by me, Jean" she said. "Oh, I need my bag and my laptop. Can I stop by and get them before I go home?"

"Of course, but Em, you're not walking home, surely?"

"I doubt Horatio would go for that, Jean." Emily said, much to Jean's delight. "However, I'm too exhausted to fight with him. I just want to go home and have a shower and crawl under my comforter and sleep for a week."

"OK, I'll be here another 30 minutes or so. Em, did you two make up?"

"We didn't even have a chance to talk about it Jean. I'll let you know. Bye."

Emily hung up just as Horatio reached her.

"So, the EMT tells me you refuse to go to the hospital." She nodded. "You should get checked out, Emily."

"Horatio, I'm fine, I'm just so tired. I just want to go home and have a hot shower and go to bed and try to forget about this day."

"Emily, you need to go to the hospital." His voice told her there would be no arguing with him.

"No Horatio!" Emily began to panic. The mere thought of a hospital was frightening. She didn't want to explain to Horatio the reason for her fear, but she knew if he made her go, she would probably become hysterical. He was watching her through narrowed eyes, twisting his sunglasses in his fingers. She looked away from him, at her feet, the ground, anywhere but those all too knowing eyes,

"What are you frightened of, Emily?" he asked her quietly.

"I just don't like hospitals," she muttered, still not looking at him. "I'll make an appointment with my doctor tomorrow and go to her," she suggested, looking up at him, hoping he would accept her compromise. Horatio regarded her thoughtfully for some moments. "OK, deal. However, I'm staying with you tonight." He put his hand up as she began to protest. "Either me or the hospital. Pick your poison." The look in his blue eyes dared her to say anything further.

"Hmmm… you would know all about those. Personally, I've always thought hemlock was kind of romantic. Of course, it is quite effective also. By the end of Hamlet, just about everybody is dead. Maybe that would be some good bedtime reading after the day I've had. How's your Shakespeare?" Emily looked up at him. "Oh, I need my laptop and my bag from the store. Jean has them ready for me to pick up."

"OK, I'll be right back."

She watched him walk away and sighed. Not exactly the way she had imagined their first night spent together. Sooner or later he was going to find out her secrets. It was just a question of when.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – **Passionate Kisses**

_Wednesday evening, 5:45 pm_

Emily woke up as Horatio slowed the Hummer to ease it into the parking lot of her building. Other than a sideways glance at her to see that she was awake, he gave no hint as to what he had in store for her. She stared straight ahead, quite certain she would get a lecture at the least or he would wash his hands of her at the worst. The Hummer with the Miami Dade Crime Lab insignia on the side had attracted the attention of the people in her building. Idly, she noticed the curtains in Mrs. Jenson's apartment twitching back and forth. Mr. Toodles would be without his cat treats tonight she thought. Oh, but she was tired.

She realized the Hummer was no longer moving. Horatio appeared at the passenger door, and as she moved to get down, he stopped her. His voice was quiet and level, making it clear he was not about to argue. "Emily, I'm going to carry you. You are in no shape to make it up all those steps. Hand me your key and put your arms around my neck." Meekly, she did as he asked, refusing to look at him. As they rounded the landing, he said, "It appears we have an audience." She looked at him then, but couldn't see his expression behind his sunglasses. Once inside, he set her down on the loveseat, saying, "I'll be right back." She watched the door close behind him and wondered again what he was up to. She closed her eyes.

Horatio quickly retrieved her laptop and bag, next making a stop at the apartment below Emily's. He introduced himself and explained the situation with Emily. Upon hearing what had happened, Mrs. Jenson was most happy to help out. "Of course I can stay with her while you run your errands, Lieutenant. I can be there in 15 minutes. Will that be all right?"

"That will be perfect, ma'am," he replied with a smile and headed up to Emily's apartment, intent on making her see the wisdom of this course of action.

"Emily, I need to talk to you for a minute. Look at me please?"

When she opened her eyes she saw him standing in front of her, twisting his sunglasses in his fingers as he watched her. Hazel eyes met blue and quickly looked away. She looked down at her fingers, twisting them together in her lap. He seemed so distant, she didn't know what to say to him. "Maybe he really does want to be done with me." Hearing his sharp intake of breath, she realized she had done it once again. "Please go away," she whispered, jumping up from the loveseat, wanting to put more distance between them. Unfortunately, her legs didn't receive the message from her brain soon enough and she pitched forward, falling full-length into his waiting arms.

Horatio held her close, rubbing his cheek against her dark golden hair as he murmured, "Oh no sweetheart. That's not going to happen." He closed his eyes as he held her, wondering how he was going to make her understand how much he cared about her. Emily was trembling in his arms, she couldn't move, didn't really want to, she thought hazily. 'Well, if he hadn't pushed her away by now, maybe she still had a chance.'

The sound of his voice broke through her thoughts.

"We'll talk about all of this later," he was saying softly. "Right now, I want you to listen to me Emily and trust me, OK?" Horatio's fingers gently coaxed her face out from it's hiding place against his chest. "Trust me?" he asked again, his fingers tenderly stroking her cheek, her brow, tucking the dark golden strands of hair behind her ear. When she gathered the courage to look into his eyes, she couldn't look away.

"OK," she whispered, watching in fascination as the blue colour of his eyes deepened until she felt as if she were drowning in them.

Horatio reluctantly settled her back on the loveseat, sitting beside her and taking her hands in his. "Sweetheart, I am going out to run some errands, stop and see my ME and then I will be back. I am going to stay with you tonight. No arguments." He smiled as she looked like she was about to refuse. "Now, hear me out," he continued. "You had a pretty extraordinary afternoon," he said, "and I know you feel exhausted and want nothing more than to sleep for a week." She nodded. "But I really think you should have someone stay with you, just in case. So, while I'm gone, you indulge in a warm bath or shower and Mrs. Jenson is going to stay with you." Emily listened, bemused at the idea of Mrs. Jenson sitting her.

She realized he was asking a question, "Oh, which kind of cat treats was it that Mr. Toodles likes?" Emily had no sooner answered him, than there was a knock at her door and Mrs. Jenson bustled in, ready for instructions on her patient.

Emily watched as Horatio briefly explained to Mrs. Jenson what had gone on earlier in the day. Mrs. Jenson was nodding sympathetically,

"Oh, yes, Lieutenant. That is very true. One never knows what could happen with all that smoke and who knows what was burning in there. Very good it is that you will be staying with her tonight. Now, you go on with what you need to do and we will be just fine until you get back." Emily almost laughed as Mrs. Jenson practically pushed him out the apartment door. Turning to her where her patient was still sitting, Mrs. Jenson carefully looked Emily over, taking in her soot stained clothes, hair full of ashes and small scratches that covered her hands.

"Let's get you cleaned up Emily, before that nice Lieutenant of yours comes back. Come along, I can help you with your hair." Her tone said there was no arguing and Emily meekly followed her to the bathroom, feeling once again like Alice after she fell down the rabbit hole.

_Wednesday evening, 6:30 pm_.

Horatio had gone home, showered and was toweling off his red hair when the phone rang. It was Yelina, wondering what he was doing for dinner. During their short conversation it became clear to him that his nephew had mentioned the woman he had seen his uncle with at the play on the beach. Horatio promised to bring her around to dinner in the near future, and said good-bye, feeling as though he had just made a commitment to something larger than dinner. It was a bit unsettling to think of himself and Emily as a couple, he reflected. He shook his head once, as if to clear out that thought and continued with gathering the things he would need for this evening, and a fresh suit for tomorrow. Thoughts of the events of the afternoon, rose in his mind. Emily had saved the pet shop owners life. She had simply been in the right place at the right time, and done a very brave thing. But her subsequent actions were foolish and life-threatening. He sighed as he pushed away thoughts of what could have happened. That reminded him that he needed to call Alexx and get a second opinion.

Emily let herself sink below the orange scented bubbles in the tub. It felt wonderful to be clean. True to her word, Mrs. Jenson had helped her get all the soot from her long hair. It had been singed in places and Emily was not prepared for the amount of strands that had appeared in the water after they had shampooed and shampooed again.

"Not to worry, dear." Mrs. Jenson had cooed, "This will all grow back. I know your young man likes this beautiful hair of yours. He won't even notice."

'Unless he winds up with a handful of hair,' Emily thought with a frown. She was roused by a swift rap on the bathroom door.

"How are you doing in there dear?" Mrs Jenson popped her head in the door and said, "I'll just take these smoky clothes for you, as she gathered them up in her arms. "OK, just about 10 more minutes. We want you out and dressed for the Lieutenant when he comes back."

Emily reached for her scrubbing puff and scooped out her favorite grapefruit scented body scrub. She scrubbed until her skin was pink, then was soon stepping into the fluffy towel Mrs. Jenson had left over the shower rod. After applying her favorite lotion until no smell of smoke lingered on her, she slipped out of the bathroom and fled to the privacy of her bedroom. She looked longingly at her bed, her comforter beckoning to curl up beneath it and sleep away the next 24 hours. A brief image of Horatio joining her beneath its fluffy warmth made her move away in confusion at the direction her thoughts were turning.

_Wednesday evening, 7:30 pm_

Mrs. Jenson made sure that her charge was resting comfortably and bustled off to Emily's kitchen, saying she knew just the thing to soothe that raspy throat. Soon Emily heard cupboard doors opening and closing as Mrs. Jenson assembled the ingredients to her remedy. Emily was curled up on the loveseat, amidst several layers of blankets, watching a grapefruit league baseball game she had found on the television.

Mrs. Jenson and Emily were enjoying their tea when they heard the sound of the key being turned in the lock. Both women looked up to see Horatio push the door open with his foot and enter the apartment laden with bags. "Good evening ladies."

"Ah Lieutenant, it would appear you had a very successful trip. Let me take care of some of those for you. Why don't you go say hello to Miss Emily? I think she's missed you." The elderly woman smiled as she noticed the lightest of blushes rise up in both Emily and Horatio's cheeks. Mrs. Jenson bustled out to the kitchen, and Horatio took the opportunity to approach Emily, one hand behind his back.

They looked at each other for several seconds. Her eyes lingered on the open collar of his light blue shirt, remembering the other day when her fingers had discovered the hint of ginger-coloured hair sprinkled across his chest. His eyes could see that her hair was still damp, combed out and tucked behind her ears. Horatio had a sudden urge to join her under those blankets and kiss her neck, losing himself in that golden silken curtain that hid her slender nape.

"Hi you," she said softly, suddenly feeling shy of him, considering where her thoughts had been turning of late.

"Hi yourself." He answered her softly. "You look like you're comfortable there. I take it Mrs. Jenson has been treating you well?"

"I could get used to this," she admitted softly. Then asked curiously, "What do you have in your hand?"

"I stopped by the coffee shop for you," he answered, bringing out a large iced latte light with cream.

"Oh Horatio, thank you!" she cried softly. He smiled as Emily's hazel eyes lit up with golden flecks and she looked up at him, her dimple showing in her cheek. "I could kiss you right now," she added, touched by his thoughtfulness.

He squatted down in front of her, offering her the coffee with one hand and giving in to the temptation to touch her golden hair with the other. Murmuring that he would accept a kiss as a delivery tip, he gently urged her forward and offered his mouth for her kiss. Emily kissed him, hesitantly at first, then again and again, forgetting about everything except the warmth of Horatio's mouth as she kissed him, delighting in the passion that suddenly seemed to simmer just below the surface of the friendly kiss.

Mrs. Jenson finished setting the table and putting out the dinner items Horatio had bought, when she realized it had become quiet in the other room, save for the announcers voice coming from the television. She smiled as she saw the reason for the quiet. It was so nice that the Lieutenant had taken an interest in Emily; she was a sweet woman, perhaps a little headstrong, who needed a man who could stand up to her to share her life, Mrs. Jenson thought. She set off for the door, determined to let these two continue with their evening alone. Horatio sensed that Mrs. Jenson was getting ready to go and he reluctantly broke the kiss with Emily whispering, "Be right back, sweetheart."

She watched bemusedly and sipped her latte as Horatio rose to say goodbye to Mrs. Jenson and thank her for her help, kissing her on the cheek in the process. He handed her a bag, saying "For Mr. Toodles." The elderly lady went out, a light blush staining her cheeks, murmuring how lucky Emily was to have such a fine young man to take care of her.

After locking the door, Horatio returned to the loveseat, sat beside Emily, removed the latte from her hand and gathered her into his arms, blankets and all.

"Now, where were we," he murmured, his eyes meeting hers before coming to rest on her mouth, before he dipped his head once more. Emily was happy to follow his lead and for a time the only sound in the apartment was the muted sound of the announcers on the television. Emily's arms had slipped from within the cocoon of her blankets to rest against his chest, her fingers shyly slipping inside his shirt collar. At the touch of the silky chest hairs against her sensitive fingertips, she trembled and Horatio took that opportunity to slip one of his hands inside her blankets coming to rest against her waist. Lifting his head just enough so he could speak, he asked softly, "I want to touch you Emily?" She trembled and nodded, her gaze once more returning to his mouth. "Horatio, please…" His mouth came back down onto hers, a bit harder this time.

Once again Emily let him lead, her body softening to the warm touch of his hand as it slipped beneath the tank top at her waist and explored upwards. He could feel her trembling beneath his touch. This time, when he lifted his head, Emily whispered, "No, Horatio," and reached for him once more. She felt his hand trail back down to her waist, slip outside her tank top and gently rearrange her blankets, as he said huskily, "Sweetheart. We need to stop this now…" Her eyes opened slowly and went to his, looking for an answer in his passion-darkened blue eyes. Those eyes had a very possessive gleam in them at the moment.

"Why…" her voice trailed off, little more than a squeak, her lips swollen from his kisses.

He smoothed the hair back from her face, with a hand that trembled a little in the process. "Sweetheart, we need to talk about this … us."

Emily tried to keep the hurt out of her voice, as she whispered, "What do you mean? Why did … did … you stop … ?" she stuttered, her eyes wide.

Horatio could see the uncertainty and confusion mirrored in them, as well as the hurt. He wanted to reassure her, to show her his decision to stop had nothing to do with his desire for her. "Emily, sweetheart, please understand, I didn't want to stop. But I don't want to do something too soon. We both have had an emotional day and I don't want us to use that as the reason for us becoming lovers." Emily felt herself blush at the last word, once again an image of him with her beneath her comforter rose in her minds' eye. "I see you've thought of it too." He said softly, causing her to blush even harder. His eyes traveled over every inch of her face, as if trying to commit every last curve to memory. "I was so afraid something happened to you last night. And if I'd lost you today – I don't even want to think about that." He finished softly, all the while his hand had been gently caressing the side of her face, her hair. "Now," he murmured, gathering her blankets close, "Let me hold you just a little longer and then you can have your latte and I'll get dinner. OK?" Emily could only nod and rest her head against his chest, gradually relaxing to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear.

She must have fallen asleep, because when she awoke it was dark outside and the television was turned off. She was still cradled in Horatio's arms, his eyes closed as he rested with his back against the loveseat. Emily gazed at him, trying to remember every line at the corner of his eyes, the light lashes resting against his face, the curves of his lips. She reached to touch her mouth, to once again imagine the feel of his kisses. The movement woke him and for some moments they gazed at each other, no words. Finally Emily broke the silence,

"Er.. do you think that latte could be saved with a few new ice cubes?"

He laughed and said, "You are so addicted." Lightly kissing the tip of her nose, he set her down and went out to the kitchen to see what he could do. She heard ice cubes being cracked from their trays and something being poured. Soon he came back with a full cup, icy cold. She took a long sip. "Heavenly!", she grinned, "and the latte's not bad either." She was rewarded with a smile.

"Music?" he asked, wandering over to her CD selection. "Any suggestions?" he asked her.

"Um….how do you feel about Mary Chapin Carpenter?."

"Are you hungry?" he asked her, as _Passionate Kisses_ filled the room.

"That's a loaded question," she answered and didn't even try to hide the blush she knew was rising up in her cheeks. Her stomach chose that moment to answer the question as well, and he grinned. "I guess that's a yes. We can have picnic in here. Stay there and I'll bring it in. I hope you like Chinese?"

"Oh, yes

_Wednesday evening, 11:00 pm_.

After dinner, Horatio refused Emily's offer of help and quickly cleaned up their dinner things. She watched him move about her kitchen as he made her some tea, very comfortable in the task at hand.

When it was done, he brought her the tea, a couple of pain relievers Alexx had recommended and a glass of water. She took the pain medication, and handed him the water glass, receiving her tea in exchange. As she sipped it, he went into her bedroom and turned down her bed, leaving more pain medication and a bottle of water on her night table. Horatio found the extra pillows and blankets where she had told them they'd be and by the time he'd arrived back out in the living room, she was finished with her tea. "OK, bedtime for you." He said lightly, taking her empty mug.

Emily stood up and stretched, "Horatio, it's only 11:00. I can't possibly go to bed yet."

"Oh, yes my little night owl. I think you will be surprised how quickly you'll fall asleep. But if not, I've heard a big boring book works wonders."

"Well, I wouldn't know about that, I don't have any boring books, big or otherwise," she answered, heading off to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for bed.

Horatio waited for her to go into her bedroom, before following her and knocking lightly on the doorjamb. "May I tuck you in?" he asked, tilting his head to one side, wondering how she would answer.

"Of course." She said rather breathlessly and watched him wide-eyed as he tucked in her comforter, fluffed her pillows and sat down on the edge of the bed. Their eyes met in the lamplight and he moved the stray hair from her face to behind her ear in a gesture that was becoming all too familiar.

"Now, I will leave the bathroom light on and the light over the sink. If you need anything, call me. I'm a light sleeper." He added. She could only nod, not wanting him to walk out of the room and leave her.

"Shall I leave the lamp on low?" She nodded again and he stood, bent over her and kissed her very gently on the mouth. "Sweet dreams Emily." He whispered and as he left the room, he heard her whisper, "Goodnight, Horatio." He turned at the door just in time to see her blow him a kiss.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – **Conversations Over Coffee**

_Thursday morning, 6:20 am_.

Emily woke and peeped out from beneath her comforter. Her clock said 6:20 am. Why was she awake at this hour? And why was her lamp still on? She noticed the bottle of water and pain meds on her night table. A quick attempt at swallowing reminded her of the reason for the pain meds. And then the events of the previous day came flooding back. She wondered if Horatio was still asleep in her living room. What is it about this man that won't allow her to sleep past 6:30 am, she thought, as a sudden bout of coughing seized her. It wasn't until the delicious aroma of brewing coffee tickled her nose, that she thought about venturing out of the comfortable cocoon of her comforter. After another round of coughing, the decision was made for her.

"Knock, knock."

Horatio stood in her doorway, coffee in hand. He might have guessed she wasn't even under that mound of blankets and fluffy comforter, except for her feet sticking out the end.

"Wake up sleeping beauty." He said, laughing softly as he approached her bed. Emily slowly emerged from her comforter, and eyeing the coffee, sat up and leaned against the headboard wearily.

"You know, it is not nice to laugh and be cheerful in the presence of someone who is not a morning person when it isn't even 7:00 am yet." She noticed his hair was tousled from sleep and he was wearing sweats and a t-shirt. "Nor," she added looking pointedly at the coffee, "is it nice or wise to hold that coffee just out of reach. Who knows what I might do to get it." The stern look she was giving him was spoiled by yet another bout of coughing.

He waited until she was finished and carefully handed her a mug. "Okay now?" he asked her. She nodded and carefully took a sip of the hot brew, noticing he had liberally doused it with half 'n' half. She closed her eyes and savored the rich flavor.

"What I can't figure out," he went on, taking a sip of his own coffee, "is why all the blankets. You are in Miami after all."

"I like to be warm," Emily answered him as if that explained it all, taking another sip. "This is the best of all possible worlds, coffee in bed. This is delicious!" she added with a smile, her dimple creasing her cheek, much to his delight.

Horatio sipped his coffee, and tilted his head to one side, "How are you feeling this morning?" he asked. "Your cough seems worse," he added somewhat accusingly. She felt herself grow just a teensy bit irritated with his tone and said, "My throat is still sore and I feel like I'm coughing my insides out. But otherwise, I feel just peachy."

"Alexx said the sore throat and coughing were to be expected," he told her, "but you will find out more when you see your doctor today I'm sure."

"I'm sure I will," she added demurely, taking another sip of coffee, not looking at him.

"Emily – you are going to the doctor if I have to take you there myself – or I will have my medical examiner look at you, in her morgue" he added, with a glint in his eyes.

"I'm not dead Horatio! Or am I?" she said somewhat alarmed, pinching herself. "Ouch. Ok, I'm still alive. Now I know why I don't want to be awake before 8 am. This is just too bizarre." And she started coughing again. Reaching over to take her mug from her hands, he murmured,

"Easy Emily. Your grandmother was right. She warned me you wouldn't go to see the doctor willingly."

"You talked … to … Grandma? …" she gasped out between the wracking coughs. "When?" The coughing fit subsiding, she collapsed back against the headboard with a dramatic moan, eyes closed. This could not get worse, she thought.

"Last night, after you went to bed. She called and I did check on you, but you were out like a light. We had a nice chat. I believe her words were 'I may have to put you over my shoulder and carry you in there' he added, watching as her eyes flew open and met his.

"You wouldn't dare!" Emily couldn't tell by his expression if he was serious, but she had a very strong suspicion he would do it if he didn't get his way in this matter.

"Try me," Horatio said silkily. Blue eyes stared down hazel for several long minutes. Emily was the first to look away. He stood and when she dared look at him, he said, "I'll bring you some fresh coffee, then I've got to get ready for work. We're not done with this discussion yet, Emily." She watched him leave the room, wondering what else Grandma told him.

_Thursday morning, 7:00 am_.

Yelina carried her coffee over to the center island in their kitchen, where her son was eating his breakfast. He was chewing his cereal thoughtfully, and she wondered what was on his mind. It wasn't long before she found out.

"Mom, do you think Uncle Horatio will want to go fishing with me, now that he has a girlfriend?"

Smiling at her son's use of the word girlfriend and Horatio in the same sentence, she said, "I'm sure he will find time to do things with you Ray." It was hard to imagine her workaholic brother-in-law taking the time to watch a play, on the beach no less. If it hadn't been her son, who had seen it with his own eyes, she would never have believed it.

"I don't ever remember seeing her at his work. I wonder where he met her? He looked like he was pretty happy with her," Ray commented, thinking back to that evening. He looked at his mother, "You know, I can't remember seeing Uncle Horatio smile like that since … since before everything happened with Dad."

Yelina quickly looked down at her coffee at the mention of her late husband. She had married Ray but she had always felt a connection with Horatio. She smiled to herself as she thought back to that time. Horatio, being the older brother, was more serious, more responsible, always taking care of things. Ray was fun-loving, a little more apt to go to the extreme. There had definitely been a competition between the two of them, in more than just their careers. It had carried over into their personal lives as well. And for a very short time, Yelina had found herself in the middle of it. But, true to form, Horatio had quickly distanced himself, once he realized that she may be forced to choose between the two of them. Later, after she and Ray had married and there was Ray Jr. to think of, it had been Horatio who tried to talk some sense into his brother, asking him to slow down, think of his wife and child. Ray had chosen his own path and it was Horatio who had to pick up the pieces, for himself and Yelina and Ray Jr. More than once since then, she had wondered about the choice she made between the brothers. If she had given herself a chance with Horatio, things would have been so different.

"Mom, did you hear what I said?" The voice of her son startled her out of memories of the past. She quickly blinked her eyes and looked at him.

"I'm sorry Ray, what was that?"

"Did you ask Uncle Horatio when he was coming to dinner? I hope he doesn't stop coming over again." Though he tried hard to hide it, she heard the hurt in Ray's voice. She knew he was referring to her ill-fated affair with Rick Stetler, and how Horatio had stayed away in an attempt to give Ray and Rick a chance to get to know one another. It had been clear Horatio did not approve of her decision to date Stetler, but her happiness was important to him, so he had tried not to interfere. But when Ray Jr. had called for help, Horatio had been there.

She reached across the counter to give his fingers a reassuring squeeze.

"Ray, whatever happens, you are his nephew, whom he loves very much. His feelings for you won't change. I'm sure he will still want to spend time with you. And, if Emily cares about him, then she will understand that you and Horatio need to spend time together."

"What about you Mom?" Ray looked at his mother carefully. He had often noticed how his mother and uncle would stop talking when he came into the room, or how his uncle would suddenly look everywhere but at his mother. After his dad died and though he had never actually said it out loud, he had often wished that his mother and uncle would decide to get married and they could be like a normal family.

"Ray, your Uncle Horatio deserves to be happy. I want nothing less for him." Yelina looked at her son and tried to choose her words carefully, "If he's as happy with Emily as you say, then she must be pretty special. I think we should do our best to make her feel welcome." Ray Jr. tilted his head and regarded his mother, so much reminding her of Horatio.

"But are you OK with that Mom?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered him truthfully, if not a little sadly. "I will be. It just might take some getting used to."

_Thursday morning, 7:25am_

Emily sat at the kitchen table, sipping her third cup of coffee, glumly looking at her braille project spread out in front of her. Her brain was having trouble wrapping itself around chemistry code before 10:00 am. Horatio was almost ready to leave for work, exacting a promise from her to call the doctor and make an appointment, for today. And she was not to walk. She had shaken off his offer to drive her. "Don't be ridiculous Horatio. I'm fine. I'll drive myself. I'll just make sure I've got a Springsteen CD for my stereo and a very large, very cold coffee to sip in case I get stuck sitting in traffic."

She watched him walk over to where she sat, his hair neatly combed, impeccably dressed as always. He pulled the other chair out from the table and turned it around, straddled it and rested his arms over the top, regarding her intently. Idly, she noticed the tiny red marks from where the dachshund had bit him on the ear.

"Emily, are you going to be OK? I could ask Mrs. Jenson to come stay with you for a while."

She shook her head and summoned a small smile. "No, Horatio, I'll be fine. I guess I'm tired. After all I got up 4 hours earlier than usual."

"You can always go take a nap. You're not going in to work today." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, sir," The tiny spark of rebellion at his tone died as quickly as it flared up and she added, "I do need to call Jean and see if she needs help with cleaning up and when she can re-open."

Emily sensed he wasn't done yet. "What else, Horatio?" she asked quietly.

He was hesitant to ask her about giving a statement. She had been watching him as he clipped on his badge and ID. When she saw him holster his weapon, her face had gone pale and she had looked away quickly. "Emily, I need you to come and give a statement about the fire."

"I didn't see anything Horatio. I told you yesterday."

"I know, and I am going to see Mr. Green today. Hopefully, he can help us. But we still need you to give a statement as a witness. Calleigh is very good. She might be able to help you remember something you didn't think was important."

"Is she the blonde woman that was at the fire yesterday?"

"Yes, she was there with Erik. I know she will be very happy to meet you," he added, somewhat uncomfortably, hoping she wouldn't notice. Emily picked up on it immediately,

"Oh?" she asked.

"OK," he gave her a self-conscious smile. "It's hard to keep a secret in a department of CSI's. Calleigh has been curious about you since we met. She means well, Emily. Erik, Calleigh, Ryan, Alexx – we're all like family, we're together so much. We all tend to watch out for one another."

Emily had to admit she was curious about the people Horatio spent so much of his time with on a daily basis. Sensing she was starting to warm up to his request, he said, "Why don't you let me know when you've made your doctor's appointment. We can set up a time for you to meet with Calleigh after that."

"Will you be there?"

"Absolutely, sweetheart."

She nodded and looked back down at the book in front of her. Not wanting to leave her like this, Horatio looked down too and recognized the figures in the textbook, even though he was looking at it upside down. "DNA strands. How do you show those in braille?" he asked her, his curiosity piqued.

"So far I haven't" she said glumly. "Code rules involving the initials aside, I haven't been able to determine if I need a graphic or I can describe it using a transcriber's note. The problem is," she finished somewhat self-consciously, "is that I have very little chemistry or biology background. I've read the text here, but it's not making sense. What I need, is a crash course in basic organic chemistry."

Horatio smiled at her. "Ahem, I may be able to help you with that."

"Really?" Then it slowly began to dawn on her. "Don't tell me you have a chemistry background."

"Guilty."

"And I suppose your lab works with DNA on a pretty regular basis."

"Guilty again."

"So I have been stressing over this for the past two days, when the answer to my dilemma was pretty much a phone call away?"

"That would be a yes." He grinned at her, happy to see some of her usual spark back in her voice. "Tell you what. Bring your book with you and after we're done with your statement we'll go find Valera or Aaron and get you started on the road to understanding basic organic chemistry."

"You're sound pretty confident there, Lieutenant."

"I am."

"Well, we shall see," Emily smiled at him. "Personally, I think it's going to be a pretty bumpy road."

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 – **Statements & Secrets**

_Thursday morning, 8:30 am_

Emily felt the emptiness of her apartment more than ever after Horatio had gone to work. Her eyes were drawn to the loveseat, where he had slept last night and where she had been nestled in his arms earlier in the evening. He had folded the blankets and stacked the pillows neatly on one end. She went to her bedroom and began searching for the card with the name and phone number of the clinic. Once she made the appointment, she told herself, she was going to reward herself with a nap.

Horatio was sitting in his office, staring out the window. His thoughts went back to last night at Emily's apartment. When she had blown him the goodnight kiss, it was all he could do not to return to the bed and climb under the comforter with her, cradle her in his arms and kiss her goodnight again, and again and again. There was no way he could sleep after that and he had prowled around her apartment, snooping through her books, paging through her codebooks and notes of her braille project, carefully studying the pictures on the wall above the bookcase. It was an interesting collection, he thought. The large one of the 2 baseball players had caught his eye first. A Minnesota Twins player and a Florida Marlins player were in the foreground, both players turning to look at the camera. A team picture had been tucked in the upper left corner of the frame and ticket stubs from the 2002 season framed the photo on the matting – Spring training through Post season, he noticed. The other four pictures were actually paintings of a rocky shoreline, depicted in each of the four seasons. Unfortunately, he was no closer to answering any of his questions about her reluctance to visit a doctor or the mystery surrounding her late husband. And then her phone had chirped.

"_Emily's phone."_

"_Hello, may I please speak to my granddaughter? This is her Grandmother Estin."_ The elderly voice was pleasant, but authoritative.

"_Just a moment. She may be asleep."_ He went to her bedroom door, looked in and saw Emily's feet sticking out of the bottom of her comforter. He said her name softly, "Emily?" Nothing. He returned to the living room, _"Ma'am she's asleep. She had a pretty rough day and I think it would be best not to wake her."_

"_Would this be the red-haired, blue-eyed, lieutenant who moved Emily's 80-year-old grandmother off her speed dial 1?"_

"_Yes, Ma'am. That would be me, Horatio Caine."_ He smiled.

"_Well, since my granddaughter isn't available and I am wide awake, how would you like to make an old lady happy and keep her company for a little while?"_

"_It would be my pleasure,"_ he said, relaxing back on the loveseat.

"_We shall see about that young man,"_ she had laughed. Then, her voice had gotten serious and she said_," "Now, tell me what happened to my granddaughter, Lieutenant." _

"_Please call me Horatio, Ma'am."_

_Thursday morning, 9:55 am_

Emily had made her appointment to see the doctor. The clinic said they could take her at 1:00 pm. After leaving a message on Horatio's cell, she took a bottle of water and her phone to the loveseat, and unfolded the blanket and curled up, hugging the pillow Horatio had used last night. The faint scent of him lingered and she fell asleep at once, a small smile on her face.

"I did receive a call back from the investigator in Fort Meyers." Horatio told his team. "It seems they did have some similar robberies last fall. He was getting his paperwork together and we should have it by early next week." He felt his phone vibrate. Looking at the assembled faces, he asked, "Anyone have anything else?" Discretely slipping the phone from his pocket, he smiled as he saw who had called. A chorus of no's answered him and he dismissed them.

"Calleigh, may I see you please?" Horatio asked as the team filed out. She had almost been out the door when his voice had called her back. By the time she had reached his desk, he was slipping the phone back in his pocket. Horatio looked at her and gave her a small smile.

"Calleigh, I need you to interview a witness to the fire yesterday. She will be here at 2:00. Will that fit your schedule?"

"Sure Horatio," she said, sensing he had more to say.

"She's ah… she's a friend of mine and she's not too sure about all this." He looked at his sunglasses he was fiddling with in his fingers.

"Will you be sitting in on it?"

"I'd rather not. I think she might remember more if I'm not in the room."

"She's the woman at the fire with you yesterday." He nodded, still not looking at her.

"I'll take good care of her, Horatio."

He looked up at her then and smiled. "I know you will Calleigh."

Calleigh left Horatio's office, a satisfied smile on her face. Now, she was getting somewhere.

_Thursday afternoon, 1:30 pm._

Emily's trip to the clinic had been uneventful. The doctor had listened to her lungs, checked her throat and found some minor irritation. After taking a look at her scrapes and checking all the other usual things, she had given Emily a prescription to ease the irritation in her throat and pronounced her otherwise healthy. As she walked out into the warm Miami sunshine, she sighed in relief – one down, one to go, she thought. Getting in her car, she checked her directions to the Crime Lab and set off. Actually, if she was honest, she was more concerned about the coming interview than she had been about the doctors' visit. She pushed away mental images from the last time she had been asked to make a statement. Don Henley's "_Boys of Summer_" came on the radio and she turned up the volume in an attempt to tune out the accusing voices in her memory.

For the second time that day, Horatio found himself thinking about the phone conversation with Emily's grandmother. He had attempted to find out some more information about Emily, but realized quite quickly just who was interviewing whom.

"_I'm worried about her, Mrs. Estin. I've asked her to come down and give a statement regarding the fire, as she is a witness. She hasn't been very willing to do it."_

"_There is a reason for that Horatio. But, I cannot betray Emily's confidence. If she hasn't told you herself, then she's not ready for you to know."_

"_But, Mrs. Estin, nothing could be that bad. I work in law enforcement, I've heard it all."_

"_Oh, yes, Lieutenant Caine. I've googled you and I know who you are and what you do. You are very good at your job. But, I think, right now, Emily needs someone who lo… cares about her by her side to help her get through this, to her it's a very big deal."_

"_I tried to tell her she just has to tell my CSI what happened. And I'm going to ask Calleigh to do the interview. I thought maybe another woman would be easier for Emily to relate to. Calleigh won't push too hard, she knows her job and she's got a wonderful way with people. I don't know what else to do,"_ he ended, dragging his fingers through his hair. Horatio hadn't been able to keep the worry and distress out of his voice and grandma had picked up on it immediately.

"_Well, Horatio, you do sound sincere to these old ears. And I can usually tell when someone is feeding me a line, so I will explain to you why Emily is so reluctant to go down to your office.  
But, before I tell you her secrets, I want to know some of yours."_

_Thursday afternoon, 1:50 pm._

Emily pulled the Mustang into a spot marked Visitor and cut the engine. She sat there for some moments, looking at the building before her. It was imposing, seeming to be made almost completely of glass. Emily told herself sternly, 'This won't be so bad. Horatio will be there. He'll take care of you.' She gathered up the Chemistry book and her bag and got out of the car. As she walked toward the entrance, she saw a familiar red-head exit the building. She smiled as he slipped on his sunglasses, then took the steps lightly, two at a time. He moved gracefully and Emily decided she could never get tired of watching him.

Horatio scanned the parking lot for Emily's blue Mustang. He had called her and left her a message that he would meet her outside the building when she arrived. When he saw her moving towards him, he stopped at the sidewalk and watched her approach. Her long golden ponytail swung as she walked, slim hips moving ever so slightly beneath her deep green sundress. With her sunglasses on, he couldn't see her eyes.

"Hey you." Emily's voice belied a calm she was far from feeling.

"Hi Emily. You look lovely sweetheart," he added softly, taking off his sunglasses.

She followed suit, slipping hers in her bag, "Thank you. I needed a little 'cosmetic courage' today." Emily tried to smile and Horatio saw how difficult this was for her. He stepped closer and murmured, "You will do fine sweetheart." He tilted his head to one side and looked in those wide hazel eyes, dark with apprehension. "How did it go at the doctor's?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I've got a prescription for some throat spray to help the coughing and soreness. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be any aftereffects from my little adventure," she said, trying for a light tone. Blue eyes held hazel and this time, blue looked away first.

"Good. Let's go inside then. Ready?" Emily saw the question in his blue eyes and took a deep breath.

"I guess so."

"Okay then." Emily was conscious of his hand at the small of her back, guiding her up the steps and inside. Once she was checked in and had her Visitor's badge, he once again put his hand at the small of her back, guiding her through a maze of glass until she felt like a mouse, looking for the cheese. When she mentioned this to Horatio, he laughed and said, "We haven't lost anybody yet." They continued to chat as they walked and Emily was unaware of the curious looks she received from people they passed by.

Stopping at the break room for a bottle of water for Emily, Horatio saw that Alexx and Ryan were finishing up their lunch break. He looked at Emily, "Ready?" She nodded uncertainly, not sure what he meant. She soon found out. Taking her hand, Horatio led her into the room and said, "Alexx, Ryan, I'd like you to meet Emily. She's a friend of mine."

The tall, attractive African-American woman came forward, hand out-stretched. "Hi Emily. I'm Alexx Woods. I'm so very glad to meet you. I hope you are feeling better after your adventure at the pet shop?"

"Yes, thank you. You're the medical examiner Horatio told me about?"

"That's me. Well, I've got to get back to my patients. It was very nice to meet you sugar." She gave Emily's hand a squeeze and smiled at Horatio, patting his shoulder as she went past him.

"Uh, Ryan Wolfe. It's nice to meet you." The young man stood and extended his hand.

"It's nice to meet you."

Horatio retrieved the bottle of water, then took Emily's hand once again, asking the young man, "Have you seen Calleigh, Ryan?"

"I think she was headed for interview room 1, H."

"Thank you, Mr. Wolfe."

They arrived at their destination and found Calleigh Duquesne waiting patiently for her boss and the witness he wanted her to interview. Judging by the way he was holding her hand, this woman was more than 'a friend', Calleigh thought happily.

"Hello Calleigh." Horatio greeted her as he and Emily stepped inside. He motioned Emily to have a seat at the table and said, "Calleigh Duquesne, this is the woman I told you about, Emily Saunders."

"It's nice to meet you Emily." Calleigh's handshake was firm and she had a wide smile, large green eyes and a soft southern drawl. Emily liked her immediately. Horatio watched as Emily and Calleigh chatted for a few moments about Calleigh's home state. The two women seemed to hit it off and he decided his decision for Calleigh to do the interview alone would work out after all. He cleared his throat and smiled apologetically when the two women stopped talking and looked at him.

"Emily, Calleigh is going to take your statement about the fire at the pet shop the other day." He walked over to where she sat. "I've got a few things I need to take care of right now. When you're done, we'll go over and start your crash course in organic chemistry. OK?" The sudden frightened look in her eyes almost made him change his mind about sitting in on the interview.

"You'll do fine Emily. Calleigh promised me she would take good care of you." He picked up her hand from the table and gave her fingers a squeeze. Emily nodded at him, telling herself she could do this.

"OK," she whispered.

"See you in a little bit, sweetheart." He left the room. Calleigh had watched the exchange between the two with delight. She would have to make sure she and Emily had lunch sometime. Gathering her papers together, she said,

"Let's get this started Emily. I'm sure you can't wait to delve into the exciting world of organic chemistry."

_Thursday afternoon, 2:15 pm._

Horatio had gone back to his office and taken care of a few phone calls. Now, he once again found himself reflecting on what he had told Emily's Grandma Estin on the phone last night. Normally, wild horses couldn't get the sordid details of his past out of him. Yet, here he found himself telling an almost complete stranger about the violence that had marred his childhood and led to the death of his mother at the hands of his father. And the death of his father at the hands of his eldest son. When he had finished, Emily's grandmother had said softly,

"_That's quite a load for a young man to carry around."_

"_I'm used to it Ma'am. But you have my word, I would never hurt Emily in that way."_

"_I would expect nothing less Horatio."_ He waited_. "But I promised you information. Very well, but I warn you Lieutenant, if I find out you use this information to hurt my granddaughter in any way, I will find you and you will be very sorry."_

"_Yes, Ma'am."_ Horatio didn't doubt she would carry out her promise.

"_Three years ago, Emily and her husband were driving home from up on the Gunflint Trail. She had gone to pick him up from the Boundary Waters, where he had spent several days taking photographs. It was dark by the time they started back down, and the dirt road is very twisty and curvy. At that time of year, in the late fall, it can be rutted as well from the weather." _ She stopped to get her breath.

"_Anyway, there was an accident. Kevin, Emily's husband, wasn't wearing his seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle. He hit a tree and died instantly. Emily had been driving and was wearing her seatbelt. She was pretty badly injured, but at least she was alive."_ Horatio found he was holding his breath and slowly let it out. Mrs. Estin went on.

"_It took almost 12 hours before someone found them. Emily was brought down to Grand Marais and then flown to St. Mary's in Duluth. She was there for almost a month, poor thing. It was hard on her. After about two weeks, once she had stabilized enough to talk, every type of investigator we could imagine from the DEA to the Game Warden to the local sheriff wanted a 'statement.' Trouble was, she couldn't and still doesn't, remember what caused the accident, what happened immediately before the accident or what happened after. She remembers waking up in the hospital with a bunch of men with guns asking her questions. The more she told them she couldn't remember, the more persistent they became. And it being a small town, the rumors were flying." _Horatio closed his eyes and grimaced. No wonder she had refused to talk to him about her husband. He became aware of Emily's grandmother speaking again.

"_Is that enough for you to understand her reluctance to give you a formal statement, Lieutenant?"_ her voice wasn't angry, but it had lost some of it's warmth. Horatio didn't know what to say. He wanted to go in to where Emily slept and take her in his arms and tell her he would never let anyone hurt her like that again.

"_Now, Lieutenant. This information was given to you on a need-to-know basis. Remember what I said. I do have one more question for you." _Some of the twinkle had crept back into Grandma Estin's voice.

"_Yes?"_ Horatio had asked hesitantly.

"_My granddaughter seems quite taken with you, Lieutenant. It's nice to see her interested in a relationship with someone again. I was beginning to think she might be alone the rest of her life. And she's far too young for that to happen. But, I'm wondering what your intentions are towards her, Horatio?_ _I'm already 80 years old. I don't know how much longer I can wait for great-grandchildren."_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – **Calleigh**

_Thursday afternoon, 2:15 pm_

"After you pulled Mr. Green outside the door Emily, then what did you do?"

"I went back inside for the animals. There weren't many. Mr. Green said he's been thinking of closing up shop. I know I shouldn't have gone back in," Emily added hastily, "but I couldn't leave them in there to … perish in the fire when they were trapped in their cages."

"How many did you get out Emily?"

"I got the hamster and gerbil cages out first, after I opened the cages for the birds. I went back for the kittens and puppies. That's when Horatio found me." She finished self-consciously. Calleigh smiled at the thought of her boss saving puppies and kittens, however, she guessed he probably had had some sharp words for Emily regarding said actions.

"So… after you rounded up the puppies and kittens, then what?"

"I had them wrapped up in my shirt. We … couldn't get back out because the fire had spread by then. I started to get scared and my throat was really starting to hurt. I followed Horatio up to the front of the store, but we still couldn't get to the door."

"The sprinklers didn't come on?" Calleigh questioned.

Emily shook her head and said, "No." She sighed heavily.

"_Mrs. Saunders, what was your husband doing in the Boundary Waters?"_

"_We didn't find a camera among the items in the truck, Mrs. Saunders. Was he really taking photographs?"_

"_Who was your husband meeting in the Boundary Waters, Mrs. Saunders? We know his permit was for two people."_

"I wish I knew what happened to the animals."

She seemed concerned. Calleigh said, "I can probably find out for you, Emily." She saw the other woman brighten a little.

"Oh, that would be great. I haven't seen them since Horatio gave them to someone to check over."

"Horatio took them?"

"Well, he tried," Emily grinned, looking at Calleigh. "I don't think he spends a lot of time with small animals though."

"Why do say that?"

"Well, the little dachshund got away from him, and ran up his arm. I remember how surprised he was when it bit him on the ear."

"That explains the red marks. He wouldn't tell me." Calleigh explained with a little grin. She noticed that Emily had relaxed a bit when talking about the animals.

Horatio was restless. He resisted the urge to look again at his watch. He couldn't focus on the files piled on his desk – this had to be a first, he though wryly, running his fingers through his hair for the fifth time in as many minutes. Perhaps it was time for him to do some googling of his own. He sat down at his computer and began to type.

"How well do you know Mr. Green, Emily?"

"Not to well. I mean, … I say hi, we talk about dogs when I drop in to pick up treats for my neighbors' cat."

"Did he ever mention having a problem with someone, a disatisfied customer, a supplier?"

"No." Emily shook her head.

"Your friend owns the store next door, correct?"

"Yes."

"Has she ever mentioned problems with anyone like that?"

"No," Emily hesitated, thinking about the strange man in the baseball hat from 10 days ago.

"Did you see someone?"

"It's probably nothing." Emily shook her head, reluctant to tell Calleigh about the man.

"Why don't you tell me anyway? Part of our job is to weed through all the information we get and figure out what's important and what's not." Still Emily seemed reluctant to explain. "You can tell me Emily." Calleigh said encouragingly.

"Does Horatio have to know?" Emily's voice was soft and she glanced at Calleigh and quickly looked away.

"Well, he will read my report." Calleigh paused, beginning to sense the reason for Emily's reluctance to speak. "You haven't told him about this?" At Emily's negative shake of her head, Calleigh's suspicions were confirmed.

"_Were you and your husband arguing about something, his affair, perhaps, when you had your accident?"_

Emily twisted her fingers in her lap and tried to explain. "It seemed more creepy than anything. And I didn't really know Horatio then. So I just never mentioned it." She looked at Calleigh. "If he hears about it now, well, he'll make a big deal out of it. Then we'll get in an argument…" her voice trailed off.

Calleigh smiled as she thought of this woman arguing with Horatio. Very few people argued with her boss, or even tried to for that matter.

"Emily, why don't you just tell me about what you saw at the book store. He takes the safety of the people he cares about very seriously. It would be better if he knows now, before it turns into something bigger." Emily sighed, knowing Calleigh was right.

"It was this guy, he was wearing sunglasses and a baseball hat and he just kind of … appeared from the P section. When I asked him if I could help him find something, he said he wanted something to read at the beach, but he wasn't really dressed for the beach, you know. After that he just went straight up the main aisle of the store and out the door. I told Jean about him and we've been more careful about keeping track of customers in the store since then."

"Have you seen him again?"

"No, and neither has Jean or Sally." Emily was twisting the bottle around and around on the table. She was finding it more and more difficult to focus on Calleigh's questions. Noticing Emily's anxiety increasing, Calleigh decided it was time to call Horatio.

"I think that's everything I needed, Emily," she said pleasantly. "Thank you for coming in to talk to me."

"_Where did your husband keep his guns?"_

"_Why were you so late leaving the exit point?"_

Scrolling through the local Duluth newspaper, Horatio had found several weeks worth of articles regarding Emily's accident up on the Gunflint Trail. There seemed to be little evidence and Emily hadn't been able to remember anything about the accident or immediately before it for that matter. Rumors of an affair between Emily's husband and someone working for the Department of Natural Resources had been hinted at, but there was no evidence.

Horatio's phone chirped and he reached for it immediately. Seeing it was Calleigh, he got up from his desk and headed for the door. "On my way." He wasn't sure why he felt a need to hurry.

As he approached the interview room, he could see Calleigh perched on the edge of the table, talking with Emily.

"Knock, knock," he said, rapping lightly on the open door with his knuckles. The women stopped talking and turned to look at him. He looked from Emily, to Calleigh, and back to Emily. Outwardly she looked calm, but he noticed the whiteness of her knuckles as they clutched the water bottle.

"Everything go alright?" he asked hesitantly.

Calleigh turned to look at him, nodding, her serious expression belying her light tone. "Okay, I'm out of here, then. You have my card. It was nice to meet you Emily." She nodded to her boss and went out the door. Emily seemed like a very nice person, caring, smart, someone who could stand up for herself. It was also pretty evident, to Calleigh anyway, that she was in love with Horatio. Calleigh could only hope that her boss would open himself up to that love. It was obvious he felt something for Emily, that much was clear. She could only hope he would take a chance on those feelings and not let the guilt he carried push Emily away. Perhaps he needed a guardian angel or two to make sure it didn't get mucked up, she thought. Taking out her cell, she punched a number.

"Alexx, hi. Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you."

"Horatio, I need a minute." Emily's brittle voice made him realize the toll the interview had taken on her. She stared straight ahead, not looking at him.

"OK, come on. We'll go back to my office. Let's go. Right this way, now." He kept his tone businesslike, giving her something to hang on to until they could reach the privacy of his office.

Emily focused on his voice, numbly following him through the maze to corridors. Just when she thought she could hold on to her sanity no longer, they arrived at his door. She practically ran inside and went to the furthest wall of glass, staring unseeingly at the scene below. Emily could feel herself beginning to shake as the accusing voices pounded away in her head, until she was afraid she would start screaming. She was unaware of him locking the door and closing the blinds before coming over to where she stood, visibly shaking now.

Horatio felt as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. He would never have put her through the interview, if he had realized she would react like this.

"Emily, it's over sweetheart." He touched her shoulder gently and saw her jump at his touch. Emily's eyes flew up to his and he saw the panic and fright she was no longer able to hide.

"Horatio… I … I'm s….s…sorry," she stuttered and covered her face with her hands, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. Horatio took his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Emily it's OK. You're safe now. It's over now. Come here, sweetheart. Let me hold you and keep you safe." Very gently, he put his arms around her, gathering her close. He felt her stiffen at the touch of his hands. Taking the clip from her hair, he loosened it and began to run his hands down the silky length.

At the familiar touch of his hands on her hair, Emily's body slumped against him and her hands slid up to his shoulders, fingers clenching in his shirt. He could feel the hot tears where her face was pressed against his chest. He kissed the top of her golden head, gently rocking her in his arms, whispering that she was safe. Deep inside he felt a growing anger – not at her, mostly at himself. He should have realized how deeply this would affect her. After speaking to Mr. Green earlier in the day, he should have found another way to ask Emily what she remembered from the fire.

Slowly, as the fog of painful memories lifted, Emily's body stopped shaking and she rested her head against his chest, taking comfort in the steady beat of Horatio's heart in her ear. Still he held her close, and Emily took several deep shuddering breaths as she managed to stop her tears. She knew she had to explain her behavior to him. More than anything she wanted him to understand. Emily didn't think she could deal with seeing disappointment in his blue eyes for falling apart from something so simple as answering a few questions. She lifted her head to look at him, ready to confess all the sordid details about her past and was totally unprepared for the anger she saw in those blue eyes.

"Horatio …" her voice faltered and she self-consciously let go of her grip on his shirt, noticing what a mess it was from her tears and her clenched fists. "I'm … s…. sorry … What did I do?" she whispered, pushing away from him, trying to put some distance between them.

Horatio watched her move away, confused by her statement and her quick exit from his arms.

"Emily," his voice was sharper than he intended and he saw her flinch. She turned away from him and looked at his desk. Idly, she glanced at his computer screen, stalling for time, while she tried to figure out what she had done now. "Widow Says She Doesn't Remember What Happened Before The Accident" screamed a headline across the screen. Her picture was below it. Emily felt as if she'd been slapped and grabbed at the desk for support. Her last thought before fainting was that he'd found out about the accident in Minnesota and now he was angry with her, just like all those other law enforcement people.

Too late Horatio realized he hadn't deleted the article he had been reading about her accident. Now she had seen it and he knew he had some explaining to do. Then he watched in horror as she slumped over his desk, fainting dead away.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – **Betting with Grandma**

_Thursday afternoon, 3:05 pm._

"Emily!" Horatio bolted across his office to where Emily lay slumped across his desk. "Emily!" Slipping his phone from his pocket, he punched a number.

"Dr. Alexx Woods."

"Alexx I need you in my office, now!" he barked and hung up, turning his attention back to the motionless woman on his desk.

Alexx grabbed her medical bag and left the morgue running. She quickly caught up to Calleigh, who had left her office minutes ago.

"Alexx, where's the fire?" she joked.

"Horatio's office."

"Say no more. I'm with you."

Very gently, Horatio scooped Emily up in his arms and carried her over to the sofa against the wall in his office. He laid her down and covered her with his suit jacket. After unlocking the office door, Horatio went back to where Emily lay, tenderly moving the stray hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear, with a hand that trembled. His voice was low and pain-filled. "Oh Emily, I am so sorry. I am so sorry."

Alexx's soft knock produced no response, so she tried the door. It swung open and she quickly stepped inside, leaving Calleigh outside to keep watch. The scene before her was heartbreaking. Emily lay unmoving on the sofa, and Horatio was down on one knee at her side, head bowed as he smoothed the hair back from her face. Alexx couldn't make out what he was saying, but she had a pretty good suspicion she knew the gist of it. Two steps forward and three steps back, she reflected wryly. She cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Horatio," she approached him and as she drew nearer she realized he had known she was there.

"She fainted Alexx. I think she hit her head on the desk. I don't see a gash or any blood. She won't wake up Alexx." The desperation in his voice and the hopelessness in his eyes made Dr. Woods realize she was going to need reinforcements. Touching his arm, she said,

"I'm getting Calleigh. She's just outside. She can sit with you while I look Emily over." She didn't wait for a reply and went for the door.

"Calleigh, I need you in here." Shutting the door behind her, Alexx explained quietly, "Emily fainted. Horatio's pretty upset. I don't know what went on before she passed out, but I need you to keep him over there until I can check her over." Calleigh eyed her boss as she crossed the room. She had seen him on some pretty dark days – the day Tim Speedle was shot came immediately to mind, and the look on his face was almost as bleak today as it had been then. She touched Horatio's arm and said softly, "Why don't you come over here with me, Horatio? Let Alexx look Emily over, ok?"

He sighed, she was right of course. How many times had he said that to someone when he arrived on a scene? Gently, he gave Emily's forehead one last caress and went over to his desk, angrily hitting the delete key to erase the offending article from the monitor. Calleigh had a quick glimpse of a headline screaming something about a widow and an accident. After that very brief outburst, Horatio dropped into his chair and bent over, head in his hands, clearly not in the mood for conversation. She was saved from trying to find something to say by a knock on the door. Eyeing Horatio, who was now staring unseeingly out the window and dragging his hands through his hair, she quickly went to the door and opened it a crack. It was Ryan. She opened it further and pulled him into the room.

"Hey Cal, have you seen Horatio? IAB is looking for him, something about a meeting he's supposed to be at in 5 minutes," the young CSI said. "I thought I would give him a heads up Stetler was looking for him." He looked around the office. His boss sat at his desk, his head once again in his hands and Alexx was bending over the woman rumored to be his bosses' girlfriend. Emily was moaning softly, slowly coming around. "OK, Cal. What is going on? Or maybe I don't want to know?" He found himself being pushed back out the door, Calleigh saying,

"OK, Ryan, I can't explain now. You've got to keep Stetler away from here. Head him off and tell him Horatio is busy and can't make the meeting, or that he sent you in his place."

"Cal, Stetler doesn't like me. He'll never believe me."

"Stetler doesn't like anyone, Ryan. All the more reason to tell him you're going to the meeting in place of Horatio. I'll make sure he doesn't answer his phone. Now go. I promise I'll explain it all later."

'Why is it always me?' Ryan walked away, wondering where Erik was. Just then he heard a familiar voice,

"Wolfe, where's Horatio?" Ryan took a deep breath and said,

"Rick, I just saw him. He's not going to be able to make that meeting. But, he did say that I could fill in for him, so here I am." The IAB man glared at him, and stomped off muttering something about rescheduling it for another time. Ryan let out his breath and went back to Trace. Wild horses couldn't get him near Horatio's office the rest of the day, he thought.

Emily slowly opened her eyes. Her head hurt and when she saw Alexx bending over her, she moaned and said softly, "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Oh, no sugar. You just got a nasty bump on the head from that desk." Automatically, Emily reached up to feel it. She moaned again.

"Now, don't worry about it. Your hair will cover it up nicely. I'm glad you woke up to join us, Emily. If you had been out any longer, Horatio wouldn't have any hair left on his head. Tell me how you're feeling." She was checking Emily's hazel eyes for any sign of concussion.

"My head hurts." Alexx was blocking her view of Horatio. Somehow, Emily knew he would not have left her, even with Alexx there to take care of her. She became aware of Alexx asking her more questions. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Four and one thumb."

"What happened before you fainted?" The doctor's eyes narrowed as she saw that the color which had come back into Emily's face now quickly leave it.

"Horatio was angry with me. I can't remember why." She shuddered as thoughts of the accident 3 years ago, flooded her mind once more. Emily closed her eyes trying to remember what she saw just before she had felt the darkness come over her.

"I saw the screen on Horatio's computer. It was an article from three years ago from when I got hurt in the accident and Kevin was killed. I don't remember anything from the accident. Can I see Horatio?" She finished softly.

Horatio had heard her soft moans and wanted to go over to Emily's side. A quick shake of Alexx's head and he found himself suddenly blocked from reaching her. "Calleigh, I could order you to move out of my way," he said softly.

"But you won't," she had drawled, staring him down. He went back to staring out the window, seeing nothing of what was going on outside.

"Let's see if we can sit you up." Alexx helped Emily into a sitting position, once again checking her eyes for any sign of concussion, asking how she felt, any dizziness?

"No, I want to see Horatio."

Alexx was glad to see these two may not need so much pushing after all. "Okay," she relented, waving her hand to Calleigh, who went to her boss and said softly, "OK, Emily is asking for you."

Horatio crossed the room in 2 strides, coming to a stop directly in front of her. His eyes went over every inch of her face, while Emily noticed the worried lines around his mouth and the deeper lines around his eyes. Blue eyes held hazel and this time neither looked away. A single tear slid down Emily's cheek. Before she could wipe it away, she felt the light touch of Horatio's thumb on her face, soothingly caressing and following the wet trail down her cheek. Emily closed her eyes as his thumb followed the line of her chin, back to her ear, then he slowly tucked the stray strands of her golden hair behind her ear.

"Emily, I didn't mean to make you cry." His voice was so full of concern and compassion, it almost caused more tears. She blinked her eyes once more and looked up at him. His eyes were the most intense blue she had ever seen. She was like a moth drawn to a flame – she couldn't look away.

When Emily looked at him, Horatio felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. Her beautiful hazel eyes were dark with sadness and shimmered with unshed tears, though he could tell she was bravely trying to keep them at bay.

He looked over at his friend. "Alexx, could we have a few minutes, please?" His eyes returned to Emily and he sat down beside her, wanting very badly to take her into his arms and never let her go. Alexx and Calleigh had been watching the couple and they went to the door. "We'll be back in 5 minutes, Horatio. I'll knock once, count to 3 and then we're coming in. Emily could have a concussion, but I doubt I can get her to go to the hospital willingly. So, I need to go over the warning signs of concussion with you. You two have 5 minutes." And she and Calleigh went out the door.

At the sound of the door shutting, Horatio reached for her and Emily moved into his arms, sighing as he settled her against him. "Oh, Emily. You scared me, sweetheart." She felt him shudder as he nuzzled her neck, breathing in the citrus scent of her lotion.

"I'm sorry, Horatio. I can't seem to …"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Emily! I should have known better." He took a few more deep breaths, trying to get his emotions under control. "I've barely known you 2 weeks and yet you've turned my life upside down," he whispered.

"Is that a good thing?" she wondered aloud.

"Let's just say, I'm learning to get used to it. Be patient with me?" The uncertainty in his tone almost started her tears again.

"I think I can do that," she said tremulously, giving him a small smile.

"One kiss, Emily, then I have to put you down before Calleigh and Alexx come back. We … we can continue this tonight, OK?" Emily nodded and reached for him, sliding her arms around his neck and tangling her fingers in the red hair at his nape. She lifted her face for his kiss and felt the gentle caress of his lips against hers. Emily's mouth opened to allow him to deepen the kiss, and Horatio could not resist what she was offering.

Reluctantly, he dragged his mouth from hers, and looked into her eyes as they both took several deep breaths, trying to get their breathing under control. Unthinkingly, Emily reached up and traced the tiny lines around his eyes with her fingers. She felt him tremble at her touch and a smile touched her lips. Settling her back against the sofa, Horatio took her hands in his and just looked at them for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. Emily didn't know what to say to him, so she waited for him to speak, content for the moment to let her eyes roam over the ginger coloured highlights in his hair, noticing with some satisfaction how mussed it had gotten where her fingers had raked through it. When he looked up at her, he said softy,

"We have to talk sweetheart."

"Agreed," she said nodding.

"But not here," he said with a smile. "Calleigh and Alexx won't say anything about what went on here, but I don't want to put you in the position of being the center of the gossip mill. OK?" He saw a smile creep across her face.

"Or you either, Lieutenant?" she asked, some of her usual sparkle beginning to come back at the thought of Horatio's love life being the talk around the water cooler.

"Yes, I am the boss, you know."

"Hmm… you make it kind of hard to forget that sometimes." She looked at him quickly, having once again said what was on her mind without thinking. He let it go.

"Alexx said you need someone to stay with you tonight."

"Are you volunteering, Lieutenant?"

"I am. I have experience in that department, you know."

"Hmm… well, I can't argue with that. But, Lieutenant, I think we have a problem."

"Yes?"

"Well, I only have one bedroom and my loveseat looks like it would be awfully, awfully uncomfortable for anyone over say 6 feet tall."

"True. Maybe you should sleep on the loveseat." His blue eyes were light now, enjoying the teasing exchange with her.

"Not a good idea, I think. I'm the one with the possible concussion, remember? I think I need you close by, just in case something happens," she added a bit breathlessly.

Before he could reply there was a knock on the door and promptly 3 seconds later the door opened to reveal Calleigh and Dr. Woods. They looked at the couple seated on the sofa, holding hands, acting as if nothing else had happened. They exchanged knowing glances, taking in Horatio's tousled hair and Emily's flushed appearance. Walking over to her patient, Alexx smiled. "I see you're doing better, Emily."

"Yes. I feel fine, really Alexx. Thank you for coming in to take care of me." She added softly.

"You're welcome sugar. But I'm serious, Emily. Concussion is nothing to take lightly. If you experience any nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, or disorientation you need to get to a hospital right away. I want you to promise me that."

"Yes, Ma'am." Emily answered, somewhat afraid now that Alexx had put it like that. Some of her fright must have been reflected in her eyes, because Alexx put her hand on Emily's shoulder and said,

"I don't want to frighten you sugar. I'm sure Horatio will take good care of you." Alexx didn't miss the quick look that was exchanged between the two.

"OK, Horatio, Emily will be fine without you for a moment. I've written out a list of instructions and I want to go through them with you." Emily blushed and she felt him give her fingers a little squeeze as he got up from the sofa.

_Thursday afternoon, 4:05 pm_.

"Here we are." Emily opened the door to her apartment. She had noticed the curtains in Mrs. Jenson's apartment twitching as Calleigh brought her home in one of the department Hummers. Calleigh had waved aside her protests that she didn't need her to come upstairs, saying

"Can you imagine what he would do to me if something happened to you on my watch? You wouldn't want me to have to go through that – would you?" Emily had relented, knowing that Horatio would probably chew out anyone within earshot if something were to happen to her before he arrived later in the evening.

There was a knock on her door and Emily went to answer it, finding Mrs. Jenson outside. She bustled in saying,

"Now, Miss Emily. That nice Lieutenant of yours called and said you had hurt your head and he would feel better if someone would stay with you until he arrived later this evening. I told him of course I could do that. Hello dear," she said, noticing Calleigh. "I'm Mrs. Jenson, Emily's neighbor from downstairs."

"Calleigh Duquesne. It's nice to meet you. You would be Mr. Toodles owner."

"Oh yes. He does love his cat treats. That nice Lieutenant brought me a whole bag of them the last time I watched Miss Emily for him. Do you work for the Lieutenant? I saw you drive up in one of those big vehicles like he drives sometimes. He is such a nice man. I'm so glad that he's taken an interest in Miss Emily," she added conspiratorially. "She is a bit stubborn, you know."

Calleigh didn't even try to hide the smile that the older woman's words brought to her face. Obviously, this woman would do anything for Horatio and she cared about Emily also. It would seem that Mrs. Jenson was up to her own matchmaking efforts as well. Calleigh's phone chirped and she saw that it was Horatio. Excusing herself to Mrs. Jenson for a moment, Calleigh moved into the kitchen.

"Calleigh, I assume Mrs. Jenson is there?"

"Yes, she just arrived. Did you check with Emily about this Horatio?"

"No, but she needs someone to stay with her for 24 hours. I can't get there until 7:00. I'll see you back here at the lab." The connection was broken, leaving Calleigh to stare bemusedly at her phone. She went to find Emily.

"Emily?" Calleigh found her on the deck. "Horatio wants me back at the lab. Can I get you anything before I leave?" Emily seemed to be withdrawing before her very eyes.

"Does he do this to everyone Cal?" she asked. "He treats me like I can't take care of myself. He makes decisions for me. I feel like I'm back at home living with my grandma!" Calleigh had to suppress a smile at the thought of Horatio in a rocking chair, blue eyes intense as ever, barking out orders to whoever dared come near him. She laid a hand on Emily's arm and said,

"Horatio means well Emily. He's used to taking care of things, and I guess sometimes he forgets that others might want to be involved in the decisions. Try not to take it too personally. I can see he really cares about you and I think that right now, that is all he can think about. Will you be OK?"

Emily nodded and said, "Of course you're right Calleigh. I'll be fine. Thanks for giving me a ride home."

"No problem Emily. Don't forget, you can call me anytime, if you need to talk, OK?" She gave Em a hug and said, "Now, I better be on my way before Horatio has my hide. Take care. Bye Mrs. Jenson." She waved to the older woman and went out the door, shaking her head. It was good to see Horatio caring about someone special again, but she suspected he may be in for a big surprise if he didn't take it easy with Emily.

_Thursday evening, 6:35 pm._

Emily felt like a prisoner. Mrs. Jenson meant well, taking her duties to the Lieutenant very seriously, but Emily felt like she was being stifled. She couldn't focus on her braille project and gave that up after 15 minutes. She tried reading one of her favorite Shakespeare plays and couldn't concentrate. Finally, she told Mrs. Jenson she wanted to take a little nap before Horatio arrived and fled to the privacy of her bedroom. Sleep was the furthest thing from her mind, but at least it was quiet. She stood at the window, where she could just see the beach. Whenever she needed to think or be alone when she was home, she always went to her favorite spot by Lake Superior. The soothing sound of the waves crashing on the shore settled her mind down and helped her get her thoughts in order. She looked longingly at the beach. Mrs. Jenson would never let her leave. But maybe she didn't have to go through the door….

_Thursday evening, 7:25 pm._

'Was she going to sleep all evening,' he thought, remembering Alexx's instructions about waking her every 4 hours. Horatio had arrived promptly at 7:00, latte in hand and gotten a report from Mrs. Jenson. Miss Emily had laid down for a nap about 6:30. She seemed a little down, the elderly woman had added, clearly upset that she had not been able to make her charge more comfortable. Horatio had thanked her and after some general conversation, Mrs. Jenson had gone back downstairs to Mr. Toodles and Horatio set about going through Emily's cupboards, looking to see what he could make her for dinner. He had decided on a simple pasta dish, remembering Emily's comment that pasta had to be her all-time favorite food, next to chocolate of course. And then he heard Emily's phone chirp.

"Emily's phone."

"Hello Lieutenant. May I please speak to my granddaughter?"

"She's napping at the moment, Grandma Estin. She had a rather … emotional day." Horatio did not want to admit to his particular part that led to the afternoon's trauma, but he suspected it would come out soon enough. He was debating how to broach the subject of Emily's fainting spell when the decision was made for him.

"Horatio, there is something you aren't telling me. Now, if I were there, I'm guessing those blue eyes of yours would be looking everywhere but into mine. Am I correct?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Out with it young man." The tone of her voice told Horatio he was not going to get out of telling her anything less than the whole story, so he took a deep breath and began.

Grandma Estin was silent for the entire time, and more than once he was afraid she'd fallen asleep but each time he asked her how she was doing, he received a clipped,

"I'm fine, Lieutenant. Continue please."

By the time he had finished, Horatio was quite sure he would get a chewing out from Grandma Estin at the very least. He was quite surprised then at her question.

"Horatio, have you actually seen my granddaughter since you arrived at her apartment?"

"No, why do you ask?" He was unnerved by the way the elderly lady had started chuckling. 'Maybe this was all too much for her,' he thought.

"Horatio, I don't think my granddaughter is in that apartment."

"Of course she is, Grandma Estin. There is only one way in and out. Mrs. Jenson would have seen her leave. I'll go check on her right now to ease your mind."

"We shall see who's mind needs easing in just a moment Lieutenant. Are you a betting man?" she had asked, the question stopping him in his tracks.

"That depends," he said, wondering about this new change in conversation.

"I'll make a bet with you, young man. I say my granddaughter is not in that apartment, and she did not leave via the front door. Now how about a friendly wager? If I'm correct, you are sending me a plane ticket to Miami. And if she is there, then I will not give you the chewing out you deserve for your part in this whole mess." It was silent while Horatio thought it over. He felt like he was being set up, but there was no way Emily could have left the apartment without Mrs. Jenson having seen her. The apartment was on the second floor and there was no deck or balcony off the bedroom.

"OK – I'll take that bet, Grandma Estin." He was already heading for Emily's bedroom.

"Knock, knock. Emily, are you awake?" No answer. A sinking feeling was beginning to form in his stomach and he knocked again. "Emily, I'm coming in there. I want to make sure you are feeling OK." Still no answer. He went in and immediately saw that Grandma Estin was correct. Emily was not in the room. Her feet were not sticking out from under the pile of blankets and comforter and the window was wide open. Hearing his gasp of surprise and the expletive that exploded from him when he realized what Emily had done, Grandma Estin had begun laughing.

"She hasn't done that for 19 years, Lieutenant. But then, she was sneaking out to **meet** a boy, not run away from him."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – **Storm Clouds Gathering**

_Thursday evening, 7:35 pm._

Horatio could not ever remember being this angry. He had barely listened to Grandma Estin's words of advice about dealing with her granddaughter in this situation. All he cared about was finding Emily and when he found her – he hadn't decided what exactly he was going to do with her yet, but it was going to start with a lecture about being a responsible adult. How like her to not even bring her cell phone with her in case she got in trouble, he thought, his hands clenching and unclenching. Try as he might, he could not get the mental picture of Emily's broken body lying in the sand or worse yet, at the edge of the waves, out of his mind. Grandma Estin had been pretty certain Emily had gone to the beach, so that was where he was headed. He made one quick stop at Mrs. Jenson's to ask her to call him on his cell if Emily came home.

She had taken off her shoes when she got to the beach and wandered, barefoot, enjoying the feel of the sand and water as the waves lapped against her feet. Slowly, the stresses of the day had started to disappear and she walked on, watching the sea birds that ran along the sand in front of her. Now and then she stopped to look at a shell sticking out of the sand, anything to keep thoughts of Horatio at bay for just a little bit longer. She lost track of time and eventually sat down in the sand, pulling her knees up and resting her chin on them as she gazed out over the ocean. She noticed the sun was beginning it's descent into the water. The wind was picking up and it seemed a storm was brewing. She wrapped her arms around her legs and finally let her thoughts turn to Horatio.

Arriving at the beach, he had no idea in which direction she may have gone. His gut reaction was that she would go west, the same way she was running that fateful morning they ran into one another. Horatio barely resisted the urge to run down the beach calling her name. He jogged along, his years of training kicking into action, scanning the beach for her. He had been searching for almost twenty minutes and was about to give up on this direction, when he saw her.

She was in love with Horatio Caine. Somehow that knowledge did not fill her with overwhelming joy. He could be unyielding, over-protective, and over-bearing, she thought crossly. He didn't trust her. He'd proved that by checking up on her. 'How could she be so stupid as to fall in love with someone like that?' her mind shrieked. 'Because,' her heart argued, 'he could also be incredibly thoughtful, and gentle, and caring. Emily swiped at the tears that had sprung to her eyes at the memory of his kisses on the beach. 'Oh, dear, what was she going to do?' she wondered, as more tears fell, mingling with the sea spray the harsh wind was throwing on the shore. 'She really ought to head back to her apartment and face Horatio. No doubt he had worked himself into quite a tizzy by now,' she thought tiredly. Maybe she would rest here for just a few more minutes….

"Emily!"

'Hmmm…it sounded like the roar of the wind was calling her name.'

"Emily!" It was getting clearer now, and then she realized that it wasn't the wind that was roaring.

At this end of the beach, it was all but deserted and Horatio kicked into a dead run, fearing the worst when he saw that Emily was not responding to his voice. The adrenaline had set in and he was aware of nothing, save that still figure huddled on the sand. He was almost within reach of her when she looked up and saw him. His hair was being blown about in the wind, and his suit jacket was flapping behind him. She squinted, trying to get a better look at his face. His blue eyes were mere slits and she gathered by his grimace that he did not approve of her escape. 'If I didn't know better, I'd think he was a crazy person,' Emily thought wryly, standing herself, her back to the ocean now as she watched his approach warily.

Horatio stopped in front of her, his expression grim as he caught his breath, before launching into the lecture he had been preparing all the while he had been searching for her.

"Would you care to explain," he said icily, "what that dramatic escape out the window was all about?" His blue eyes were ice cold and she shivered, her reaction having nothing to do with the wind that was swirling around them.

"I needed some space to think, Horatio."

"You needed this much 'space' to think," he waved his hand around the beach, "yet you neglected to **think** to let anyone know where you might be going? That people might be worried about you? Never mind that fact that you are walking around with a concussion and," he ranted on, "I am QUITE sure that climbing down from a second story window and wandering on the beach for an hour or so IS NOT ON THE LIST OF THINGS YOU SHOULD BE DOING WHEN YOU HAVE A CONCUSSION!"

Emily took a step backward and said crossly, "Ok, you don't have to shout. I get it. I didn't stop and consider how my actions might affect other people, namely you, because YOU had other plans all made out for me and far be it for me, of all people, TO KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR ME! And for the record, Alexx said a **possible** concussion." She finished with a toss of her head.

"You are the most infuriating female I have ever met!" he shouted above the wind.

"It's your fault," she threw back at him, stepping backward another step as he took a step nearer.

"Really?" he said silkily, "How do you figure?" He took another step toward her, backing her up closer to the water.

"You don't trust me! You treat me like a child!" she cried, getting ready to turn and run up the beach.

"Right now you're acting like one!" exploded from him and he reached for her. "I may not be able to ground you, but I can think of something else," he threatened. She nimbly dodged away from him, her bare feet splashing in the waves.

The wind had freed her hair from it's confining clip and it was blowing wildly around her face.

"You wouldn't dare…" she gasped, his intention now becoming clear as he caught her.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" he asked, quietly, pulling her closer and holding her tightly, until she stopped resisting. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he tilted her head up to him and Emily caught a glimpse of anger darkened blue eyes before her lashes fell. Horatio's kiss was punishing, demanding a response and getting it in spite of herself. She clung to him, her hands clutching the material of his jacket, silent tears welling up in her eyes and trickling down her cheeks. Horatio lost track of everything as he kissed her, again and again, his arms holding her so tightly she couldn't move. Slowly as he began to taste the salt of her tears as they trickled down to where his mouth covered hers, control came back to him and he realized what he had done.

"Oh, Emily. Emily. Emily." He could only say her name over and over as he loosened his hold and tenderly wiped the tears from her cheeks. He had taken one look into her pain-darkened hazel eyes, lashes wet with tears and felt sick. He had lost control of his emotions and Emily had paid. His gaze went to her lips, swollen and red from his angry kisses. His eyes went back to hers, still she didn't say anything, just watched him silently.

"I am so sorry." The words were torn from him, his expression grim once more. This time his anger was directed at himself. "I had no right to do that to you."

"That's right, you didn't," she said softly, her eyes never leaving his face as she pushed against his confining arms. He let her go, and she stepped back, her hand going to her sore mouth as tears welled up in her eyes again.

"How could you do that to me? I know you don't trust me and you obviously think I can't take care of myself." Her voice betrayed just how hurt she was feeling and she went on unthinkingly, "I thought you cared about me more than that. Heaven help me, but I love you Horatio." As soon as she heard his gasp, she realized what she'd done. She turned and fled up the beach, ignoring his calls to come back, only wanting to put some distance between them. His voice was getting louder and she knew he was gaining on her.

The sun had dropped beneath the horizon and it was hard to see in the dim light. Emily didn't see the large sand city some enterprising children had constructed during their day at the beach until it was too late. She tried to go around it and the ankle deep water knocked her off balance, sending her crashing into the surf. Horatio had seen what was about to happen but wasn't close enough to prevent it. He arrived in time to help her up out of the surf, walking her back to where the public access path met the beach. There was a streetlight there and he carefully looked her over, taking off his suit jacket to offer as an olive branch.

"Are you ok, Emily?" he asked quietly, not entirely sure how to handle this situation. While her admission of her feelings came as a surprise, he didn't find it to be an unwelcome one. In fact, if he was honest with himself, he had thought along those same lines himself.

Emily was glaring at him, her chest heaving, wet fabric clinging to her, showing him everything beneath the soaked cotton. He reached forward slowly and slipped the jacket over her shoulders, helping her until she got her arms in the sleeves.

"Why did you follow me? Haven't you hurt me enough today?" she cried, swiping at the wet hair that was blowing into her face. She had begun to shiver and he noticed her face had become even paler. Wanting nothing more than to take her in his arms, but realizing that would be a mistake at this point in time, he said shortly,

"You and I have to talk where there will be no distractions, no phone calls, no escapes from windows. I am going to watch you like a hawk until we get this whole thing sorted out." He looked down at her bare feet.

"Where are your shoes?"

"I… I lost them," Emily squeaked, unsure about this new course of events. Her eyes were wide and slightly apprehensive as he instructed her,

"Put your arms around my neck and I'm going to carry you to my house. It's just a couple yards down the beach. And Emily," his eyes glittered in the lamplight, "please don't run away again. The last thing on this earth I want to do is hurt you."

'Were those tears,' she wondered, a bit dazedly, sure of nothing now, except that she was very tired, very cold and very hungry.

"A hot coffee sure would be good right now." Emily hadn't realized she'd spoken her thoughts yet again, until she heard him chuckle. She tucked her face in his neck, inhaling the scent of his aftershave, mingling with the salt air. Her fingers found the hair at his nape, and she couldn't resist tangling them in it.

"Almost there, sweetheart. And then you shall have your coffee." Horatio felt her relax in his arms and for the first time since he realized she was missing, he was able to take a deep breath and relax a little himself.


	17. Chapter 17

4

Chapter 17 – **Bubble Baths & Blankets**

_Thursday evening, 9:00 pm._

Emily was trembling, from cold as well as the warm touch of Horatio's hands. He had carried her in the house and set her down in the large master bathroom. For some moments, he just looked at her, taking in her soaked tresses, windblown into a mass of tangles, her cotton shirt clinging to her curves, and the drippy cotton skirt clinging to her legs. Emily heard her Grandma's voice telling her to always wear clean underwear, you'll never know when you'll be in an accident. She began to giggle, feeling a bit of hysteria coming on.

"Emily!" His voice was sharper than he intended and she quickly focused on him. His expression softened as he saw she was beginning to shiver and said gently,

"Let's get you warm, sweetheart." She could only stand there numbly, not sure what exactly he meant, several different scenarios running through her head, each ending up with her in his arms.

Horatio turned on the tap, checked to make sure the water was warm, poured in some bubble bath Yelina had left, and as the tub filled up he walked over to where Emily stood. Very slowly, he reached for her skirt, saying softly, "We need to get you out of these wet things Emily." She nodded and accepted his help while he felt the light touch of her hands on his back as she leaned on him to keep her balance as she stepped free of the clinging cotton. Her shirt soon followed.

"You are so beautiful, Emily." His voice was husky. He turned his back while she slipped out of her bra and panties, and stepped into the bubble-filled tub. Once she had slipped beneath the scented foam, he turned back to look at her. She blushed as she found herself again looking into those passion-darkened blue eyes.

He looked at her for several moments, and said softly, "I'm going to change and get your coffee started. Wash up," he put soap and a body sponge on the side of the tub, "and when I come back in, we'll wash your hair." She nodded and watched him go, thinking this situation was so surreal. As she reached for the soap, Emily felt like one of the characters from the _Wicked Loving Lies_ novels she and Jean could never get enough of in college. Soon she had scrubbed until her skin was pink. She could hear Horatio moving around in his bedroom, then a few moments later she heard a coffee grinder. She smiled in anticipation.

When he came back into the bathroom, she was once again submerged in the bubbles and watched him from under lowered lashes. He had put on a pair of navy lounge pants and tee. Her eyes roamed over him hungrily as he gathered up towels, shampoo and conditioner. When he turned and caught her watching him, he smiled and said softy, "All in good time, sweetheart." Emily blushed again and tried to sink further beneath the bubbles. He came over and knelt beside the tub.

"Now, let's get your hair washed." She caught a glimpse of pale freckles scattered up his forearms, before he tilted her head back and gently began pouring water over her hair.

"Relax sweetheart," she heard him say, "I know what I'm doing." And she had to agree, he certainly did. She almost moaned with pleasure as he massaged her scalp. Opening her eyes, Emily glanced sideways at him, murmuring,

"You certainly know what you're doing there, Lieutenant. It would seem you've had some experience in this area."

"More than you know," he answered her softly, a sad expression lingering in his eyes for just a moment, before disappearing as quickly as it had come.

"All done," he announced, gently squeezing the water from her tresses. He brushed aside her protests that she could manage from here on out and held out a fluffy bath sheet for her, promising to close his eyes. When she touched his bare shoulder, for balance as she stepped over the tub, a shock zipped from her hand up her arm and she looked at him quickly, seeing by his expression, that he had felt it too. Once wrapped in the fluffy towel, sarong-style, he helped her towel dry her hair, and told her, "I've left some shirts and sweats out in the bedroom. Find something comfortable and meet me in the living room. If I don't see you in 10 minutes, I'm coming in there after you, Emily." He didn't say anything else, but she could tell by his tone and the suddenly sober look in those blue eyes that he would come after her.

"Ok," was all she could say and fled into his bedroom. In addition to his clothes, she found several lacey panties. Her mind refused to consider why a bachelor like Horatio would have such intimate pieces of a woman's wardrobe among his things.

Nine minutes later, Emily was following her nose down the hall in search of the hot liquid that was creating that wonderful aroma. She gasped with delight as she stepped into the muted light of the large living room. The light, she discovered, was coming from a large electric fireplace on one wall. In front of that, Horatio had spread out a quilt and piled to the side were several more blankets and a comforter. A low table nearby held a steaming mug of light brown liquid. From hidden speakers, the first bars of Enya's _Book of Days_ could be heard.

"Do you like it?" She looked in the direction of the sound of his voice, her smile wide, dimple showing. He stepped into the light from where he been watching her in the shadows, his head tilted to one side. If it was possible, he thought, she looked even more beautiful. Standing in the light of the fireplace, he could see her body outlined through the knit Henley shirt she had chosen for nightwear. The 3 buttons at the top were undone, the sleeves were too long, covering the lower part of her hands and he noticed the hem of the shirt stopped about mid-thigh.

"It looks wonderful, Horatio. I could kiss you!" Emily made a beeline over to the cup of coffee on the table, humming along to the song. "This is one of my favorites," she commented as the song came to it's close.

Horatio made his way to the fireplace asking, "Would you like to sit on the sofa or the floor?"

"Oh, the floor." Soon she found herself wrapped in a snug cocoon of blankets, leaning back against the sofa, ready for the coffee mug he was about to pick up from the table. Kneeling in front of her, he asked, "How about that kiss you mentioned?"

"Come closer," she whispered, watching wide-eyed as he moved in closer to her, his knees touching her blankets. Blue eyes held hazel, and Emily leaned forward to kiss him as he bent towards her. She brushed her lips against his, murmuring his name. She kissed him again and was rewarded with his mouth opening beneath hers. Sighing, she deepened the kiss until he groaned and moved to pull away from her. "No," she whispered against his mouth, "I'm not done yet." Her words took him by surprise, and it was several minutes before Horatio could lean back and take several deep breaths, while attempting to get his breathing under control.

He smiled as handed her the coffee mug, saying, "Let's hope this offers you enough distraction for just a little while longer sweetheart. Sip on this while I get your dinner. Then, while you eat, I'm going to take a shower and then we are going to have a little chat and clear the air."

"You're making decisions for me again, Lieutenant."

"Humor me?" he asked softly, his head tilted to one side.

"Ok," she said grudgingly, taking a delicate sip of the coffee. "Er, Horatio… what did you put in here?"

"Coffee, milk and Bailey's."

"Trying to get me tipsy, Lieutenant?" she asked teasingly, looking up at him as he stood.

"No. I don't keep the lightener of your choice in my fridge." He paused. "I guess I'll have to begin putting that on my shopping list," he said, carefully watching for a reaction from her.

"Better make sure you buy it by the quart ," she advised demurely, refusing to look at him as she stared into the light brown liquid. She could hear him chuckling as he walked into the kitchen.

It wasn't long before Horatio had brought her supper – a very large bowl of steaming vegetable soup and crackers. After rearranging her blankets to accommodate the tray table he found to put over her legs, she was soon tucking into the savory soup, her bare feet sticking out of the blankets. He knelt beside her and asked if she had everything she needed.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He tucked a few stray strands of golden hair behind her ear and kissed her on the forehead, then quickly got up and went to take his shower.

The soup was delicious and soon it was gone. With food in her stomach and warm once again, Emily set the tray aside and snuggled up in her blankets. 'Just a little catnap,' she thought leaning back against sofa.

That was how Horatio found her a little while later. He carefully slipped a pillow under her head so she would be more comfortable, then quietly cleared away her dinner things. He thought about getting some air out on the deck, but decided against it. He wanted to be nearby if she woke up. After a final check of the doors and windows, he poured himself a glass of wine, then sat down on the quilt beside her. He sipped his wine and watched her sleep, lightly stroking her cheek. Somehow, he had to find the words to explain his behavior to her, to let her know that he would never again treat her as he did on the beach. Horatio sighed, knowing that no matter how hard he denied it, the fact remained unchanged. He was head over heels, completely and totally in love with Emily Saunders.

_Thursday evening, 11:00 pm._

Emily awoke to the steady beat of Horatio's heart in her ear and the smell of his aftershave tickling her nose. For a brief moment, she thought she was back in her apartment, nestled in his arms on her loveseat. Opening one eye, the events of the evening came flooding back to her and she lay still, wondering how she had wound up lying in Horatio's arms, her head against his chest. A quick check told her she was still wearing the Henley shirt. She couldn't remember anything happening, but then …

"It's Ok, Emily. You fell asleep after your supper." She heard his voice come from somewhere above her. "I guess I dozed off too." He finished softly, unwilling to let her move from where she lay against him, but knowing he must in order for them to clear the air. "You can take your time waking up, though."

"Sixty seconds," she said and closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts about what she needed to say to him.

"Emily, it's been a couple of minutes. Did you fall asleep?"

"No, umm … Horatio I need a few minutes …"

"Of course, sweetheart. I left a toothbrush, toothpaste, towels on the sink in the bathroom for you." He set her back against the sofa, then stood and helped her stand. "If I don't see you coming down that hall in 10 minutes, I'm coming after you." She nodded and went down the hall.

He was staring into the fire when she came down the hall some eight minutes later. For a minute, Emily watched him, enjoying the play of the firelight as it danced across his muscular arms and shoulders. He ran his hand through his hair, the familiar gesture almost dissolving her resolve to keep her distance.

"Horatio…" He turned and saw her walking towards him.

"Would you like a glass of wine?"

"That would be nice."

"I'll be right back." When he had returned with two glasses of wine, he handed one to her and indicated the sofa. Emily sat down and he took the seat beside her. Her shirt had ridden up to the top of her thighs and he reached down and retrieved one of the blankets, laying it across her legs, saying, "That is way too distracting sweetheart." She hoped he could not see her blush in the dim light.

"I don't know where to start," he said self-consciously, looking away from her into the darkness of the house.

"How about the beginning?"

"It's a long story."

"I'm a good listener."

Haltingly at first, he told her about Marisol. How she had cancer, but it had gone into remission, and their decision to marry. He stopped and looked at his hands for a long moment, trying to get up the courage to tell her the rest of the story. Emily saw how difficult this was for him. It hurt her to see him in so much pain. She reached over and squeezed his fingers encouragingly.

"I'm here Horatio." He looked up at the sound of her voice and she almost gasped at the pain in his blue eyes. Carefully he explained about the green light out on him, what it meant for the people who cared about him and the people he cared about.

"She's dead, Emily because of me. I couldn't protect her. I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you either," he whispered and looked away from her, trying to get his emotions under control. Emily's expression never changed, but she was beginning to see just what part she had unwittingly played in his nightmare. Sensing he wasn't done, she waited. Looking into her eyes once more, he tried to make her understand,

"Emily, I don't mean to treat you like a child. I just want to keep you safe. I… I've fallen in love with you." This time she did gasp and he saw the tears well up in her eyes. "I don't know if I've got another fresh start in me. And it's not fair to you," he finished quietly. "You're used to being free to do what you want without worrying about looking over your shoulder. I can't ask you to change who you are for me." He looked away from her again, refusing to look into her tear filled eyes.

"Horatio." Nothing. "Horatio, look at me… please?" He did, and she almost cried out again at the pain she saw there. "Horatio, I love you. I want to be with you. Shouldn't I be the one to decide whether or not you are worth changing my life for?" She saw the stubborn set to his jaw and realized it would take more than love to change his mind.

"You know," she said softly, "Grandma Estin takes the happiness of her favorite granddaughter very seriously. And she wants great-grandchildren VERY badly. You may think you can scare me off , but Grandma doesn't scare easily, and for the record, neither do I." She had his attention now.

"All you had to do is explain it to me Horatio. I'm not unreasonable. I admit that I'm learning your way of life here in Miami is a far cry from my life along the North Shore. You have to trust me enough to tell me the reason instead of giving me orders." She saw some of the light coming back into his eyes and she went on, moving closer to him,

"Besides, I think Grandma likes you. And since I love you, I think she's already started crocheting baby blankets and baby booties. You wouldn't want to disappoint a sweet, grey-haired little old-lady up in the North Woods, would you?"

Emily saw the uncertainty in his eyes and whispered, "Please, say you'll think about it, Horatio? I … I don't know how else to convince you…" she left her sentence unfinished and looked at him for a long moment. She stood and held out her hand to him. Horatio wasn't sure what she was doing, but he sensed the time for talking was just about over. He stood and murmured as he stepped into her arms, "We're not done talking Emily."

"Oh, I think we are Lieutenant." He tried again.

"Emily, you've had an emotional day."

"Then maybe you should put me to bed, Lieutenant." Her hazel eyes were innocent as she looked up at him.

Still he hesitated, and Emily slid her arms around his neck, bringing his head down for her kiss. Horatio returned her kiss, sliding his hands into the long golden curtain of her hair, now smooth and tangle-free. She trembled as he began to leave a trail of kisses from her mouth along her jaw, to her ear and down her neck. While one of her hands tangled in the red hair at his nape, the other slid down to lie palm flat against his chest. He lifted his head and looked at her questioningly.

"Horatio…"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I'm a little chilly." She shivered suddenly as if to prove her point. "Do you think we could snuggle under those blankets in front of the fire?" She heard him chuckle and say,

"Well, I can hardly argue with that now can I?" With those words, she found herself being whisked off her feet and soon she was nestled with Horatio before the fire.

"Are you warm now sweetheart?" he asked later, cradling her against his chest, moving the stray strands of her golden hair off her hot face.

"Mmmm…toasty," was her sleepy reply.

Much later Horatio awoke and carried her into his bedroom. Emily woke only long enough to give him a sleepy smile, whisper, "I love you," and snuggle up to him once more beneath the blankets in his bed until morning.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

5

Chapter 18 – **Meeting Erik**

_Friday morning, 10:00 am. _

Emily gathered up her books and notes and thanked Maxine Valera once more.

"I appreciate you letting me take up your time and for being so patient with me," Emily smiled at the other woman. "I feel like I've got enough of the basics so that I'll be able to make good decisions when I'm transcribing."

"You are welcome, Emily. It was fun for me. In the lab I concentrate on extracting the DNA and interpreting the results. This was a good refresher for me too. And I never thought about the challenges that chemistry might pose to someone putting the information in an alternative format. Thank you for sharing it with me. Here's my card." Emily took the card Maxine held out. "Please don't hesitate to call me if you need clarification on something else or more information. I'm happy to help."

Horatio came around the turn into the lab just as Emily was thanking Maxine again. He could see her dimple, and he smiled to himself. He was learning that when her dimple appeared, it was because she was involved in something that very much interested her or she was very happy. He had seen it several times last evening when they were together in his living room, snuggled by the fire. He rapped lightly on the open door, and smiled as Emily turned around. She had put her hair up in loose knot on top of her head that morning as she was getting ready to come with him to work. He had protested that he liked her hair down and blushing lightly, she had reminded him that he had been able to have it all to himself for some time last night. Now, his fingers itched to tuck the loose strands behind her ears.

"All set?" he asked, looking from Emily to Maxine.

"Oh, yes, Horatio. Maxine was terrific. I don't know if I'll ever understand it to do much advanced chemistry, but I've got enough of the basics for the text I'm working with now. This has been so helpful." Emily was smiling, she couldn't wait to get back to her apartment and get started on the project that had been sitting on her table for several days now.

"Wonderful. Thank you Valera. Let me walk you out Emily," he said, his hand at the small of her back, guiding her out the door and down the hall.

"I knew you'd be an excellent student," he told her as he walked with her through the labyrinth of glass. Emily was sure she would get lost in here if she were on her own.

"Is that an 'I told you so' Lieutenant?" she asked, slanting a sideways glance at him.

His reply went unsaid as they rounded a turn and were stopped by Rick Stetler.

"Horatio, I've been looking for you. We have some business to discuss. You weren't able to make the meeting the other day."

"Rick, I was busy with other matters. I'm sure whatever it is can wait a little longer." Though Horatio's voice was civil, Emily detected an immediate tension in him as soon as the other man appeared.

"No, it can't," Rick said testily. "My office, 11:00, today." Turning on his heel, he stalked off. Emily looked at Horatio in surprise.

"Are you in trouble?" she asked softly, surprised that Horatio would let someone speak to him like that without suffering the consequences.

He gave her a tired smile, some of the tension leaving him. "No more than usual." He said lightly. "Come on, let's get you signed out and then you can get home to your Braille. I know you're just itching to get started on it now."

As she was signing out, Horatio's phone chirped and he saw that it was the detective from Fort Meyers that was supposed to be sending him the information on the robberies up there. He waved for Emily to go out, he would follow in a moment. Stepping around the back of the reception desk, he answered,

"Horatio Caine here. … Yes, detective. Thanks for getting back to me…"

Friday morning, 10:05 am

Emily stepped out of the cool air conditioning of the building and stopped to dig her sunglasses out of her bag and soak up the welcome warmth of the sun. She would never understand how people who lived here used such cold settings on their air conditioning. Normally, she carried a sweater with her everywhere she went in Miami for that very reason. But not this morning. Horatio, bless his soul, had taken a solitary morning run back to her apartment to pick up his vehicle and get her a fresh change of clothes, her books, bag and car keys. He'd done pretty well, remembering she needed shoes in addition to the essentials. She shouldn't have been surprised that he had picked out one of her favorite outfits, since he obviously had good taste in clothes himself. However, he hadn't grabbed a sweater and he had nixed her idea of wearing one of his when she was going to be at his place of work.

"I've got enough explaining to do to Calleigh and Alexx," he had said with a smile. "I don't want to feed the rumor mill any more than necessary."

Looking back into the building and not seeing him nearby, she decided to head down to her car and open it up while she waited for him. Arriving at her Mustang, she noticed a thin line of fluid on the pavement running out from underneath the front of the car. 'Oh, bother,' she thought. The last thing she wanted to do today was get her car into the shop. Emily unlocked the doors and stowed her things inside, rolled down the windows, then popped the latch for the hood. 'The coolant had looked low that last time she'd checked, maybe it was leaking,' she thought.

Erik Delko saw his boss on the phone as he signed out at reception and walked out into the sun. He checked the addresses on the piece of paper Ryan had given him, and headed toward the parking lot and the department Hummers. Some stolen property had turned up at a number of pawn shops. Calleigh had volunteered herself and Erik to run down the list while Ryan did some catching up on a number of other cases in the lab. He was expecting Cal to join him shortly. Taking the shortcut through the Visitors parking area, Erik stopped. He almost whistled at the sight that greeted him - a pair of long, lightly tanned legs disappearing into a short navy skirt. The rest of the woman belonging to those legs was bent over the bumper of the Mustang, tinkering with valves and covers beneath the upraised hood.

"May I help you?"

"How are you at identifying mystery fluids?" Emily's voice was muffled.

"Better than you know," Erik said and stuck his head under the hood as well, coming face-to-face with his boss's girlfriend.

To be honest, Erik had been dreading the moment he would be introduced to the woman who could, potentially, take his sisters' place with Horatio. Though he had never really understood the relationship between his sister and his boss, they had seemed to make each other happy and that had been enough for him. He knew Horatio blamed himself for her death and for a time Erik blamed him as well. Eventually, the two had reconciled, and now worked side by side with most of the camaraderie that had been there before Marisol had gotten sick.

"Erik Delko."

"Emily Saunders. It's nice to meet you, Erik." Her hazel eyes were friendly.

"What do you have under here? V6? V8?"

"The V6. It's been a pretty good engine. Never had a problem with that. Can't say much for the turning ratio though."

"Yeah, I heard they took care of that when they redesigned the body a few years later going back to the retro look."

"Those are nice," said Emily. "But it's not the same as the real thing. Those 60's engines have a purr all their own. Gives me goosebumps listening to them."

"I know what you mean." Erik found himself liking this woman. She obviously knew something about cars, which was intriguing in it's own way. "You mentioned something about a leak?"

"I've checked the coolant, which doesn't seem any lower than the last time I looked at it. I don't think it's transmission fluid, that's red, I think? Oil seems fine. It is in need of an oil change, but I don't have anywhere to change it. The owner of the apartment building where I live kind of frowns on me changing it in the parking lot."

Erik raised his eyebrow. "You change your own oil?"

"Yep. And I can change a tire and I've spent more time than I care to remember bleeding brakes. I can also tell you with some confidence what an alternator and timing belt do, and what a starter looks like, though I wouldn't be able to replace any of them." He was smiling at her now.

"Let's take a quick look at your belts and lines."

Erik and Emily were so engrossed in their task, that neither heard Calleigh and Horatio approach. Erik had confided his feelings about meeting Emily to Calleigh and she was happy to see that his worries had been put to rest. She looked over at Horatio. He was watching the two intently, his expression inscrutable behind his sunglasses. Watching the pair, Horatio wondered again if maybe he was too old for Emily. Only ten years her senior, he sometimes felt there was a lifetime between them. Eventually, he took off his sunglasses and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. I don't remember giving permission for my Crime Lab parking lot to be turned into a garage."

Erik was the first to pop his head out from beneath the hood, wiping his hands on his pants while grinning at his boss. "Just helping a lady with a fluid problem, H." He could see that Horatio was a bit disconcerted at the sight of Erik and Emily beneath the hood of her car.

"Oh, hi Horatio, Calleigh." Emily turned around, using her forearm to wipe some of the hair from her face. "Erik was helping me check the lines. We didn't find anything, so I guess it's not serious." She looked at the man beside her for confirmation.

"As far as I can tell. You might want to take it in and get it checked anyway." He turned and slammed the hood. "Come on Cal, I bet you can't wait start checking those pawn shops. It was nice to meet you Emily." He smiled at her and set off after Calleigh, stopping just a moment beside Horatio. He could see the question in Horatio's eyes. "I like her Horatio. She's good for you. I'm sure Marisol would approve."

"Thank you, Erik." Horatio's voice was low, only the younger man could hear it.

Emily had watched the exchange between Horatio and Erik. She knew Erik was Marisol's brother, and could understand if there was some resentment toward her from him. She hadn't felt any and gathered that all was well as she saw Horatio relax upon hearing Erik's words.

"So, how is it," he turned his attention to Emily, "that you can find your way around under the hood of a car, and you never got the basics of chemistry?" He tipped his head to one side watching her.

"Oh, well, you know, winters are long up north. You need something to do." She finally gave in to the urge to scratch the itch, leaving a smudge of grease across the bridge of her nose. "Some people knit, some people surf the web, I learned how to change oil in a car." She went around to the car and reached into the open window, pulling out a wet wipe for her hands. Emily didn't realize he had followed her until she turned and almost bumped into him. He took the wipe from her and carefully wiped the smudge from her nose, then gave in to the temptation that had been gnawing at him since he had seen her inside the lab. Gently, he smoothed back the stray strands from around her face, tucking them behind her ears. The familiar gesture made her knees go weak. Emily looked into his blue eyes and could not look away.

"You certainly are full of surprises, Emily," he said softly.

"You are certainly right about that, Lieutenant," she answered, then opened the door and got in the car. He leaned inside, not wanting to let her go.

"I'll call you later, sweetheart." He dropped a quick kiss on her surprised mouth and pushed himself away from the car. Emily blew him a kiss, and with a wave of her hand, backed the car out of the spot and headed toward her apartment.

Friday afternoon, 12:30 pm.

Emily pushed her chair back from the table and stretched, resisting the urge to rub her eyes. She had been hard at work on her Braille volume since she had arrived home. With her lesson in organic chemistry still fresh in her mind, she felt much more confident in her transcription of the text. She went to her fridge and pulled out the pitcher of cold coffee, and made herself an iced coffee. Sipping it, she wandered out onto the balcony, soaking up the heat and thinking about the events of the morning.

_Horatio had awakened her at 5:30 am with soft butterfly kisses to her lips, eyes, nose and cheeks. Eventually, she had opened one eye, catching sight of him dressed in his running garb as he leaned over her on the bed._

"_Lieutenant, you have an awful lot of clothes on for this early in the morning. If you needed morning exercise, you could have stayed in bed and I'm sure we could have found something to do." She murmured, somewhat disappointed that he was apparently out of bed for the day. When he answered her, his voice was low and sexy, making her toes curl where they stuck out from beneath the blankets._

"There is nothing I would like more, sweetheart," he murmured against her lips, "than to spend the day in bed with you. However, it is a work day and I am expected at the office. Since my vehicle is at your apartment and you haven't any clothes to speak of here, I figured I better jog down to your apartment and retrieve my car and pick up a change of clothes for you. Now," he continued, his hand slipping inside the blankets to find the warm soft curves of her body, sending tingles up and down her skin, "you can snooze for another hour or so. I'll wake you when I get back. I love you." One more kiss on her mouth and he was gone.

Her phone chirped and she went inside, automatically checking to see who was calling. It was Jean.

"Emily! Are you ok? I've been trying to call you forever, well since yesterday anyway. Where have you been? Have you been with Horatio? Has he been taking care of you? I've been so worried…"

When her friend had finally stopped to take a breath, Emily said,

"Jean, I'm fine. It has been an interesting couple of days. I've been meaning to call you about the store. What are your plans?"

"Oh, I'm thinking we can open on Tuesday. The inspector of something has to come out on Monday and give us the go ahead, but everything should be fine. I want to know what 's been going on with you. And him." She added meaningfully.

"It's a very long story Jean. But I would like to talk to you. Do you think you can do dinner tonight with me? I can come over there if that would make it easier."

"I'll bring dinner to you, Em. I don't want any interruptions and I want details! My husband will be home to watch the baby. How does Thai at 6:00 sound?"

"Great," Emily said weakly. "See you then." As she hung up, Emily wondered if she was really up to discussing the past 48 hours even with her best friend.

Wandering into the bathroom to throw some cold water on her face, Emily stopped to look at herself in the mirror. All traces of Horatio's kisses were gone from her lips and except for a bruise in a very intimate spot, which she had noticed while showering this morning, so was any sign of the intense lovemaking they had shared the night before. She wondered if it would be the same the next time they were together – and saw her face flush in the mirror at the very thought of it. Shaking her head and telling herself to stop thinking about him, she went back to her kitchen table, determined to spend the next several hours with the Braille volume she was working on. Actually, she had to admit it was coming along nicely. If she could keep Horatio out of her thoughts long enough, she might have it ready to go by Monday. At least he was busy this evening with his nephew Ray Jr. so she would be able to have dinner with Jean and get some more work done on her Braille.

"_Emily, I'll have to take a raincheck on dinner tonight," he had said apologetically as they were in the car on the way to the lab. "I forgot I had promised Ray Jr. I'd go to his game tonight."_

"_Oh, that's ok Horatio. I've got plenty to do and I'd like to catch up with Jean. What does he play?" she'd asked, interested._

"_Baseball."_

"_What position?" He had looked at her quickly, raising one eyebrow._

"_Pitcher? Catcher? First base? Shortstop? Goalie?"_

"_Baseball does not have a goalie, Em."_

"_Just checking to see if you were paying attention Lieutenant. Seriously though, what position does he play?"_

"I'm not sure…" he hedged, making a mental note to himself to make sure he paid closer attention to the game this evening.

Friday afternoon, 5:00 pm.

Horatio was finally alone in his office. He had been busy with meetings and catching up with his team since he had seen Emily off this morning. The 45 minutes he had to himself before he had to leave for Ray Jr.'s baseball game was going to go by too quickly. The first thing he did was hit the speed dial for Emily's number. He felt bad about not being with her this evening.

"Hello, Horatio." He could hear the smile in her voice and wondered if her dimple was peaking out from her cheek.

"Hello sweetheart. Did you get your volume finished?"

"I'm almost about halfway there, which is actually pretty good progress. I'm taking a break for a while. Jean is bringing dinner."

"Mmmm … sounds like some girl talk?" he teased.

"You better believe it, Lieutenant."

"I was wondering if you would be up for company later this evening?" he asked her, adding apologetically, "It will probably be late, 10:00 or so."

"Of course, Horatio. That's hardly bedtime for me."

" Good. I… I had an idea for the weekend, I'd like to run it by you and see if you're interested. Oh, and I need to call your grandmother. I just realized I've always talked to her on your phone and I don't have her number."

"Why do you need to call my grandmother?" Emily asked, gripping the phone tighter.

"She's coming for a visit." Horatio didn't want to admit his part in the upcoming visit.

"Why?" Emily wished she could see him and look into those blue eyes. She was beginning to get a picture of what had transpired while she was on the beach the other night.

"Because she wants to see her favorite granddaughter?" he hazarded, not really believing he would get away with it.

"Try again Lieutenant."

"Okay Emily," Horatio sighed. "She got me. But in my defense, I was worried about you. I made a bet with her that you were in your room. Which you weren't, so…" he paused and said, " … in a way it's your fault too."

"Oh, no, Horatio Caine. Don't try to make me a part of this."

"Sweetheart, aren't you glad she's coming for a visit?"

"Oh yes, it will be wonderful seeing Grandma. I do miss her. But,…" she paused, choosing her words carefully, "… she may not be the kind of grandmother you are picturing…"

"She's not a sweet blue haired lady who bakes chocolate chip cookies and has cats?" he asked lightly.

"Uh, no. She does bake a mean chocolate chip cookie, but I don't think you quite realize what you've gotten yourself into, Horatio … "

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

6

Chapter 19 – **Talking to Grandma**

Friday evening, 6:30 pm

"So, Emily, I've let you eat your dinner, discussed the rather mundane details of re-opening the bookstore, and let you know the latest excitement in my life, namely that Baby Girl has started to cut her first tooth, which you are no doubt, thrilled to death to know. And, now you can see why I desperately need to know what is going on with you and that attractive red-haired, somewhat reclusive Lieutenant you've been seeing."

Jean sat back with her glass of wine on the loveseat and regarded her friend over the rim of the glass.

Emily sighed, took a sip of her wine and said, "I'm not really sure where to start, Jean." She blushed as she remembered Horatio saying much the same thing the night before.

"I'd say whatever just made you blush might be a good place to start."

"Jean, do you remember those books we used to read in college, _Wicked Loving Lies_?"

"Oh yea! Laying in the sun, margaritas in the blender on the windowsill and reading romance novels instead of my Stats."

"These last couple days, my life feels like one of those novels, it's so surreal. Horatio brought me home in the Hummer after the fire on Wednesday…." Soon the whole story began to spill out. When Emily got to the part about going out the window, Jean looked at her friend in horror.

"You went out the window!"

"I needed some space Jean. I couldn't think all cooped up in here. I didn't want Mrs. Jenson to worry. I figured I'd be back before anyone found out."

"I take it by the look on your face, Em, he found out."

"Oh yeah. Grandma tipped him off about my window escapes."

"He found you?"

"About a mile and a half down the beach."

"Was he angry?"

Emily sighed and said, "Livid, furious, nutso. Take your pick." She stopped as memories of his kiss on the beach came flooding back.

"Something happened then, didn't it, Em?" Emily nodded and took a sip of her wine, then looked at her friend. "He was so angry," she whispered. "He told me later why and I … I can see how I made things worse by running away from him."

"I'm guessing by the way you look all dewy-eyed when you say his name that you and he, hmmm, kissed and made up?"

"In a manner of speaking." The look on her friend's face told Emily she was not about to get off this easily. "Okay," she sighed and Jean did not interrupt until Emily finished.

"Wow, Emily! If I didn't know you better, I wouldn't believe you. Talk about your happy ending – you love each other, you'll ride off into the sunset together."

"Don't go getting out the white horses quite yet, Jean. I … I'm not sure how he feels about all … this. I know he loves me," she said hastily, seeing that her friend was about to protest, "but, I … got the impression he wasn't sure he could or should be a part of a relationship… I'm not describing it very well," she murmured. "I'm not sure how I feel about it for that matter."

_Friday evening, 7:00 pm_

Horatio sipped at his bottle of water and watched as his nephew took his turn at bat. He had found out that Ray Jr. played first base and appeared to be pretty good at it, scooping up several low throws to make the outs at first.

"Hi, Horatio." He looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. It was Yelina.

"I was able to finish up my meeting with my client early, so I thought I'd come and catch some of Ray's game. I thought you might be here." He turned to look at her as she sat down.

"Are you ok?" she asked him.

"I'm fine. It's good to see you Yelina." He looked at her over his sunglasses and gave her a tired smile. "Ray looks pretty good out there."

"Yeah, he's been spending some extra time taking batting practice to get his average up." She tilted her head left then right. "I think he's hoping for a sports scholarship, but he won't tell me anything." She slanted a glance at Horatio. "Has he said anything to you?"

"No, no he hasn't." He looked at her. "I … I've been kind of busy this week and I may be out of town for the weekend. If he and I don't have a chance to talk tonight, I'll make sure I get in touch with him next week. Are you coming out to dinner with Ray and I after the game?"

"I'll see if Ray wants me tagging along." She smiled at him and they both turned their attention back to the game.

Friday evening, 9:30 pm

Emily saved her file, then flipped from the inkprint over to the braille side. She stretched and looked at the time on her laptop. Horatio would be here in about half an hour, she might have just enough time for a quick break and then back to work. Getting up, she made herself an iced coffee and wandered out onto the balcony of her apartment. It was cooling off nicely. Jean had left at 8:00, needing to get home to feed her baby and Emily had been happy to sit down with her Braille. Actually, she felt that the events of the past couple days were catching up with her and it was all she could do not to curl up on her loveseat and take a nap until Horatio arrived. Speaking of, she thought he had sounded tired on the phone earlier. Of course the events of the past couple days hadn't been any easier on him, she realized. Emily went back inside and sat back down at her laptop, and went back into her Braille file, determined to finish her proofreading before Horatio arrived.

At 10:00, she saved her file and closed the lid of her laptop. She still had a bit more to finish up, but she wanted to wait for Horatio. Watching from the window, she saw him pull up several minutes later. As he walked across the parking lot, she noticed he was without some of his usual swagger and one look at his face when she opened the door confirmed how tired he was.

Horatio stepped inside and dropped his overnight bag. As soon as the door was shut, he reached for her, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her.

"Hi sweetheart. I've missed you."

"Hey you, I've missed you too." She said softly. And that was all she was able to say as he bent his head and kissed her, letting her know with his mouth just how much he had missed her this evening. Emily sighed and returned his kisses, her body molding itself to his, while her fingers found their way into the hair at his nape. She became aware of his hands in her hair, taking out the clip holding it off her neck and smoothing it out into a dark golden curtain hanging down her back.

Eventually, he lifted his head and blue eyes met hazel. She smiled at him, her fingers running over the tiny lines near his eyes and mouth.

"You look ready to drop Horatio. I think you should relax."

She slipped her arms from around him and took his hand. Horatio let her lead him to her bedroom, grabbing his overnight bag on the way.

"Why don't you take a shower, Horatio and I'll make you some tea?"

"Any chance you'll join me?" he asked her, his hands going to her waist.

"Er… not tonight," she answered breathlessly, reaching up to his shoulders to catch her balance. One look into his hurt blue eyes and she almost changed her mind. "You look like you could use some TLC tonight, Horatio. So," she tried to explain as she began to push his suit jacket off his shoulders, "why don't you let me take care of you for a change, OK?"

Horatio nodded, too tired and bemused to argue with her.

_Friday evening, 10:30 pm._

While Horatio was showering, Emily quickly gathered her Braille into a neat pile to one side of her kitchen table and made them some chamomile tea. When she turned from getting cups from the cabinet, she saw him emerge from her bedroom, his red hair damp and tousled. He was wearing just the bottoms of his pajamas, deep green this time, and she almost dropped her crockery at the sight of his muscular arms and chest.

Horatio had to admit, the warm shower had felt good. Stretching out on her bed and waiting for whatever else she had in mind was very tempting. He wasn't used to letting someone take care of him, but he was almost willing to give in to her. However, there were things he needed to discuss with Emily, tonight. He could hear the tea kettle whistle and decided to join her out in the living room, where there might be fewer distractions.

"Here we go," she said lightly, picking up her tray of tea things and carrying it over to the coffee table. "My grandma swears by chamomile tea to help you sleep."

He smiled and said,

"Sweetheart, sleeping isn't exactly what I had in mind. And, as I recall, I slept very well last night." He caught her blush before she turned away from him, saying softly,

"I thought maybe you might be too tired this evening for any extra-curricular activities."

She heard him chuckle, then sat down beside him and poured their tea.

"How was your nephew's baseball game?" she asked him, needing to find something to say.

"Good. Ray plays first base by the way, and pretty well judging by what I saw." He watched as her eyes sparkled.

"Good for him. I've always been partial to that position."

"I gathered that, judging from your picture up there." He motioned to the picture of the baseball players. "Which brings me to something I wanted to talk to you about. I had an idea for this weekend, if you think it sounds like something you might want to do."

"Ok, Lieutenant, don't keep me in suspense."

"I have to speak to a detective in Fort Meyers. And after doing a little research, I discovered your Minnesota Twins are playing an evening game at Lee County Stadium. So, I was wondering if you'd be interested in a weekend getaway to Fort Meyers?" Horatio was grinning as he watched her dimple appear in her cheek. It was all Emily could do not to jump up and down she was so excited.

"A Spring Training game? Oh, Horatio, that would be so cool! I would LOVE it! Oh …. I'm speechless!" she finally burst out. He had set his cup down and she threw her arms around him, toppling them both back on the loveseat.

"Hmmm…. I had no idea a baseball game would get this sort of reaction. I guess I should have thought of this sooner." Emily punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"It's not JUST a baseball game, it's a spring training game. It means sitting outside, smelling like suntan lotion, listening to the crack of the bat, eating peanuts, I could go on and on."

"Maybe a 'Thank you' is in order."

"What exactly did you have in mind, Lieutenant?"

"How about a kiss for starters … and we can go from there?" Emily looked into his sparkling blue eyes, becoming aware of the fact that she was lying practically on top of him.

"You sure know how to get your way, Lieutenant. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said you needed some TLC." She gave in laughingly, planning on kissing him lightly and making her escape before things got too … steamy.

Horatio had other ideas. As soon as their lips met, she felt his hands sliding through her hair, one hand coming to rest at her nape, keeping her lips firmly on his. Her hands had slid up to his shoulders, the touch of his bare skin to her fingers sending shivers up and down her spine. What had started out as a friendly kiss was rapidly becoming more passionate and Emily lost track of everything except the solid feel of his body against hers and the familiar touch of his hands in her hair and his mouth on hers.

The insistent ringing of her cell phone finally caught her attention. Reluctantly lifting her head, she murmured,

"I think I better get that Horatio." His passion-darkened eyes looked over her face slowly.

"Why? Whoever it is can leave a voice mail. I'd rather you spent your time talking with me."

"We weren't talking, Lieutenant. Besides," she pushed away from him, sitting up with some difficulty, "it might be grandma. I think she mentioned something about speaking to you…"

As she answered the phone, he sat up, rubbing his face while trying to get his mind on track for speaking to Grandma Estin. He became aware of Emily saying,

"Oh yes grandma. I'm fine, just a little out of breath." She paused listening. "Of course you can speak to him. I think he mentioned wanting to speak to you as well." She smirked at Horatio. "He's right here. Love you too grandma. See you soon." Emily handed him the phone, saying,

"I'm going to take a shower while you and grandma discuss whatever it is you need to talk about. I'll meet you in the bedroom later." She threw him a sassy smile over her shoulder and sauntered down the hall, humming "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

Horatio watched her go, a smile creasing his face. She was full of surprises. He turned his attention back to the phone.

"Hello Grandma Estin. How are you?"

"_Can't complain, young man. I heard you found my granddaughter on the beach."_

"Yes, Grandma Estin, and she and I had a discussion about that. We have an understanding about escaping out of windows now."

"I have no doubt Lieutenant. But I'd hazard a guess that if you and she are together at this time of night, you've kissed and made up?

"Yes Ma'am." Horatio felt his face grow warm. Feeling suddenly restless, he went out onto the apartment's small balcony.

"I've been watching the Weather Channel, and I see the temperatures have been in the 80's and low 90's. Sounds like some perfect temperatures to warm these old bones and get away from all this snow and cold for a little while."

"We would love to have you come for a visit. Just let me know and I will see about your ticket and I can find you a place to stay as well."

"Well young man, I can be ready to fly out of here by Wednesday. I can get down to the Cities and leave from Minneapolis/St. Paul airport on my own. I did want to speak to you about a place to stay however…"

When Emily crossed the hall to her bathroom, she snuck a peak at her living room. Horatio was no longer on the loveseat. Actually, it appeared he was not in the living room. Then she noticed the door to her balcony open.

'Did he go outside for fresh air or because there was something he didn't want her to know', she wondered. She soon forgot about it, instead enjoying the feel of the hot spray on her body. She was a little stiff from sitting at her laptop all day and Emily sighed as she realized she would have to bring her laptop and text with her to Fort Meyers. When she stepped out of the shower, she generously applied her favourite grapefruit scented lotion and slipped into the only pair of pajamas she owned, a blue tank top and cotton pajama pants. She decided against her usual nighttime attire, an oversize Minnesota Twins t-shirt with a picture of her favourite player on it. She would have to see about borrowing a few of Horatio's t-shirts for nightwear.

_Friday evening, 11:30 pm_.

" I would love to stay with Emily, you understand, but I think her apartment is too small and I have a difficult time with steps. I understand she lives on the second floor."

"I understand Ma'am. There are some very nice hotels close to the beach, just a few blocks from Emily's apartment."

"Hmm, I don't think so, young man. I would rather have Emily close by, just in case something were to happen to me. You know, being 80 is not for the faint-hearted."

"I do have an idea, Grandma Estin. I'm not sure if I can get Emily to go for it however."

"Do tell young man. If it's a good one, she won't be able to say no if we out number her." She laughed conspiratorially.

And so Horatio found himself explaining his idea to Grandma Estin, who was very enthusiastic about it.

"I must say, Lieutenant. That is a splendid idea and I'm touched that you offered. So, would you like to explain it to Emily or should I?"

"I think I can find the right time," he murmured.

"_Very well then, young man. It's settled. Just call me with the particulars. Now, I'm sure my granddaughter is waiting for you. Off you go and I look forward to seeing you very soon. Goodnight Horatio."_ As he hung up, Horatio was getting the feeling that Grandma Estin had gotten exactly what she wanted once again. It was an unsettling feeling.

Horatio heard the shower turn off and quickly set about putting away their tea things and locking up for the night. He was sitting on the side of her bed, eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose when Emily wandered into her bedroom trailing a light scent of grapefruit. He opened his eyes when she sat down beside him, her hands going to his shoulders.

"Horatio you are full of knots."

He slanted a look at her. "Hmmm… wonder how that happened?" he slanted a meaningful glance at her.

"I'm sorry," Emily said softly. "I promise no more going out of windows unless it is an emergency. Scouts honor." She held up three fingers.

"We never did define emergency, you know."

"Another time Lieutenant. Right now, I know just what you need. Lie down on the bed, and I'll be right back."

He watched her as she crossed the hall back to the bathroom and heard her rummaging around in the small vanity. Sighing, he stretched out on the bed and closed his eyes.

Emily was speaking as she walked back into her bedroom,

"This is lavender and chamomile scented, but it should do the trick." He opened his eyes to see she held a small bottle of clear liquid in her hands. Emily refused to look anywhere except into those quizzical blue eyes.

"Roll over Lieutenant. This won't hurt a bit. Just close those baby blues and relax." Horatio did as she asked. He heard her click on the small CD player he'd seen on the night table and soon the Celtic sounds of Clannad murmured from the speaker.

Emily climbed on the bed next to him and rubbed some of the oil in her hands. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she began massaging the knotted muscles. Neither spoke as she worked her way slowly across his shoulders, and lower on down his back, concentrating on her task.

"There you go, Lieutenant. That should feel better. I'll just put it on your tab." She got up from the bed and he heard her in the bathroom washing her hands. He followed her in, saying,

"Emily, that felt wonderful. Thank you. That's the sweetest thing anyone has done for me in a very long time." She looked up at him, her hazel eyes wide and shining. He took her face in his hands, kissing her very gently. Emily never stopped looking at him, just returned his kiss and waited to see what he would do next.

"Why don't you go wait for me in there, ok sweetheart?" She nodded and went back to the bedroom, opening the window and turning off the CD player as she heard him brushing his teeth, getting ready for bed. She was still standing in the middle of the room when he walked in.

Horatio went to her, his hands once more going to the clip in her hair, letting the silky strands run through his fingers.

"Mmmm… you keep putting it up." He murmured softly, looking into her wide eyes.

"I didn't…. didn't want it to fall in the oil," she murmured, not sure what else to say. She slipped her arms up and around his neck, feeling decidedly off balance as she was mesmerized by those oh so blue eyes.

"I feel very relaxed right now, sweetheart, but I'm not sleepy. And I noticed it's not quite your bedtime yet. Any ideas?" He bent his head, kissing her neck as he moved the dark curtain of golden hair aside, sending shivers down to her toes.

"Oh, Horatio." Her fingers began tangling themselves in his hair, as she felt his hands molding her body along the length of his. When his mouth traveled back up to hers, she met his kiss with one of her own and soon she was trembling all over. Just when she thought her knees would give out, he picked her up carrying her the several feet to her bed. He put her back on her feet, reaching down to flip back her blankets, before saying softly,

"Get in, sweetheart. I'll tuck you in." Emily did as he said, a bit confused by his actions. Horatio fluffed her pillow and gently tucked one light blanket around her. Her eyes followed him as he went around the bed, and climbed in next to her, gathering her into his arms. His face only inches from hers he said softly,

"Now, where were we before your grandma called? I'll have to speak to her about her timing."

Much later, Emily lay in his arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Horatio had pulled her comforter over them and she sighed contentedly.

"Ok sweetheart?" he asked her, his hand lightly stroking her hair.

"Wonderful," she answered with a smile and was soon fast asleep.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

5

Chapter 20 – **Boys of Summer**

Saturday morning, 6:30 am

Emily felt something tickle her nose and instinctively burrowed further beneath her comforter. Something, or someone, did not give up so easily and her bare feet were the next part of her anatomy to be gently teased. Pulling them up into her comforter, Emily groaned. From beneath the comforter, Horatio heard her croak,

"Lieutenant, you had better have a good reason for waking me up at the crack of dawn."

When she opened one eye and peaked out at him from beneath the comforter, she saw he was once again dressed in running garb and grinning from ear to ear.

"What is it going to take," she wondered out loud, "to get you to stay in bed past 6:00 a.m.?

"Sweetheart, you will know when I want to take my morning workout in bed, trust me." He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively and Emily giggled in spite of herself. Glad to see she was waking up, Horatio sat down on the edge of the bed, easing back the comforter enough to reveal her face and shoulders. Gently, he stroked the dark golden hair from her face, watching as her hazel eyes slowly shook off the remnants of sleep.

"You are so beautiful Emily," he said softly, "I love you, you know."

"Mmm … I know. And the feeling, as they say, is mutual, Horatio."

He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Good morning sweetheart." Straightening up he continued, "Consider this your 6:30 Saturday wake-up call. I've already fielded a call from Jean, who says hello by the way."

Slowly it was dawning on her.

"Saturday, running at 7:00."

"That's right sweetheart. Did you think because we're lovers, I wouldn't want to continue running with you on Saturdays? Now, come on. You've got 20 minutes." He stood up and turned to leave the room.

"Wait a minute, Lieutenant." He turned to see she had propped herself up on one elbow.

"I will go running with you on two conditions."

"Oh?" He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as he watched her, his blue eyes sparkling.

"One – you let me sleep in tomorrow. That means I don't even have to think about getting out of bed until 10:30, no excuses." Horatio raised his eyebrows.

"Two – I **absolutely** need a cup of coffee before I can go running with you."

"Is that a hint?"

"Yes," she nodded, "A big one."

"On my way."

Emily waited until she heard the coffee grinder going in her kitchen, then slowly stretched and slid out of bed, gathering up her running clothes. She dropped her favourite t-shirt over her head and slipped across the hall to quickly wash her face and get ready for her run.

By the time she was walking into the living room in search of her running shoes, Horatio had her coffee ready for her. She took the cup from him, giving him a kiss on the cheek after murmuring her thanks. Fifteen minutes later, he was locking the door and they were lightly bouncing down the steps, discussing the route for their run. Neither saw Mrs. Jenson's curtains move as she watched them cross the parking lot.

Saturday morning, 10:00 am

Emily took a last look in her closet and shut the French doors in frustration. She knew she had packed her baseball glove when she came to Miami, however, what she did with it was another story.

"Sweetheart, are you ready? We need to get going."

"Ok, be right there." Emily looked around the room. She chewed her lip. Where did she put it? How could she go to a Spring Training game without her glove?

"Now I remember!" she shouted and rushed out of the room, colliding head on with Horatio in the hallway.

"Whoa, Sweetheart." The force of her body colliding with his knocked them against the wall of the hallway. His arms went around her, as he murmured in her ear,

"Slow down Sweetheart. I think we have time for a kiss." Emily's hands were at his waist, steadying herself.

"Horatio I remember where it is. I left it in the trunk of the Mustang." She looked up at him. The intense look in his blue eyes stopped her from saying anything else.

He lightly brushed his lips across hers.

"Emily, I don't know what you are talking about. But, I've been wanting to kiss you all morning."

"Oh, well, I guess now would be a good time." She murmured, unable to look away from his gaze.

At the familiar touch of his lips brushing hers, Emily sighed and gave him permission to kiss her. As her mouth opened beneath the pressure of his, she slid her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. Soon all she knew was the solid length of his body against hers, the spicy-citrus-scent of his aftershave, and the warmth of his mouth as he did a slow exploration. As her arms slid upward, to caress his back, she became aware that he had slowly moved her back against the wall.

When he lifted his mouth from hers, just enough so he could speak, her eyes slowly opened and she could not move or look away from that brilliant blue gaze. Brushing his lips lightly over hers, he said huskily,

"Sweetheart, I don't know if I can wait until tonight to make love to you."

"Who says we have to wait until tonight Lieutenant? There's always this afternoon…. Or this morning, but then you might be late for your meeting."

Horatio was looking at her intently. As if to himself, she heard him say,

"I've never felt this way about anyone before. I … want to have you in my arms all the time, feel the touch of your hand in mine, run my fingers through your silky hair." He looked away, embarrassed by the admission.

Emily was touched. No one had ever said anything like that to her before and she suspected that Horatio had surprised himself by vocalizing his feelings.

"Horatio," she said softly, "look at me lover." When he turned to look at her once more, she went on, "That has got to be the most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me." He saw the dimple appear in her cheek as she smiled at him. Her heart melted at the boyish grin that appeared on his face and she slipped her arms from around him, to run her fingers over the tiny lines by his eyes. Sliding her hands into his hair, she murmured,

"I think we have time for one more kiss," and she brought his head back down to hers, kissing him thoroughly. When Horatio lifted his mouth from hers several minutes later, he said huskily,

"Emily, after my meeting this afternoon, the rest of the weekend is ours. I want our time together to be uninterrupted by my work, your grandma, or well-meaning neighbors and friends. I want you all to myself. I know it's selfish, but I want to learn all about you. I love you."

Emily looked up at him, her hands gently stroking his hair. She had glimpsed vulnerability in those blue eyes and it touched her deeply.

"Horatio, be as selfish as you want. I love you too. I just want to be with you," she finished shyly. He hugged her tightly then, his face hiding in her neck, as he breathed in the strawberry scent of her hair. A few long moments later, he let her go and looked at her, his blue eyes warm and sparkling. Tenderly, he stroked several of the long golden strands that had escaped from her ponytail off her face and tucked them behind her ear.

"Ok, then sweetheart. Let's go and get that meeting over with."

"I hope you got the lawn seating at the baseball game," she murmured. At his questioning look, she just grinned and said, "You'll see."

He took her hand and soon they were headed down the stairs once again, Emily remembering to stop at her car and retrieve her glove from the trunk.

_Saturday morning, 11:30 am._

Emily leaned back in the seat and watched the scenery go by. They were taking the shortcut through the Everglades known as Alligator Ally. Each time she saw an alligator in the waterway on the side of the road a little shiver ran through her.

"I will never get used to the alligators."

Horatio looked at her, quirking an eyebrow.

"They are so … lethal and they are right there on the side of the road. I'm used to seeing deer or a Canada goose in the water on the side of the road. If my car breaks down, at least I know that they won't eat me while I wait for help."

"I won't let any alligators eat you, Emily." He reached over and squeezed her fingers. Emily smiled at him and quickly looked away out the window. He hadn't said anything and neither had she, but she had seen his gun when they were loading their things in the car. She would never get used to the ease with which he carried the weapon. She knew his job required that he carry it and surely it had saved his life on more than one occasion. But for some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on, the sight of the gun made her shudder. He heard her sigh.

"Emily?"

"Old memories," she said with a sad smile and turned to look back out the window.

His sunglasses hid the thoughtful look he sent her way.

_Saturday afternoon, 2:00 pm_

Emily leaned on the balcony and looked out over the ocean. The beach beckoned her. She was tempted to take her book and towel and go spend the rest of the afternoon reading in the sun. When she looked inside, she saw her laptop sitting on the table. With a sigh she knew she should work on her Braille project. If she planned to spend the rest of the weekend with Horatio, her Braille would surely get put on the back burner. Turning back to the spectacular view, she smiled to herself. Without a doubt, she knew he would let her work if she told him she must get some done, but he was so very distracting. After one last look at the bright colors of the parasails out over the ocean, she turned and went inside, determined to spend at least an hour with her laptop. She slipped a CD in the player on the huge entertainment center that took up one wall of the condo.

"_Put me in coach, I'm ready to play … centerfield …."_

Soon, she was singing along with the music as she began to become immersed in formatting the chemistry equations in the text.

_Saturday afternoon, 2:15 pm_

"Thank you for meeting with me, detective." Horatio took the chair in front of the detective's desk.

"Well, I hope my information is helpful to you, since you drove all the way up here, Lieutenant." Horatio smiled and said easily,

"No worries, detective. It's a nice break for me."

"Ah, change of scenery and all."

"Something like that," Horatio smiled and continued, "now, about those robberies you mentioned…"

Some 55 minutes later, Horatio was standing up to take his leave.

"Thank you, detective. This has all been very helpful. It does seem like your robberies and the ones in Miami are connected. I'll get my team on this information you've given me on Monday. As soon as I know something, either way I'll let you know."

"I would appreciate it Lieutenant. At the time, they just seemed like nuisance sort of things. Our population always swells this time of year with snowbirds from the north and spring breakers and spring training. Sometimes it's all we can do to keep up with everything that those events bring. I'm sure you're familiar with that."

"Yes, of course." Horatio nodded. As they shook hands and the detective walked Horatio out, he asked,

"Plans for this evening, Lieutenant?"

"Actually, I'm taking in a baseball game."

"Red Sox," guessed the detective.

"Ah, no, Twins," said Horatio.

"Oh, they play at the Lee County Sports Stadium. It's a great facility. Pretty exciting young team, too, I've heard. I've caught a few games there myself."

"So, what can you tell me about the Lawn Seating?" Horatio asked curiously.

_Saturday afternoon, 3:30 pm_

Horatio turned the car into the parking lot of his friend's condo. His friend, James, was a writer and never liked staying in Southwest Florida during Spring Break. He had been happy to have Horatio stay at his condo while he was away. James had been curious about Horatio's visit, sensing it was more pleasure than business. Though he had been vague about his companion, James could tell the woman Horatio was bringing with him was someone special. Who else could get his workaholic friend out of Miami?

Slipping the key card in the door, Horatio opened it and could hear music and something else coming from the dining area. The something else, he soon discovered, was Emily singing. He watched her from the living room for several minutes. She was intently studying the dots on the screen of her laptop, scrolling down slowly as she proofread, while absently singing along with parts of the Don Henley song on the CD player.

"_Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach, mmmm …_

_I can see you, mmmm …, you got your cap pulled down, sunglasses on…_

_I can see you, mmmm …, mmmm …, long after the boys of summer are gone."_

"Ahem, sweetheart?" At the sound of his voice, Emily stopped singing and quickly turned around, a light blush rising in her cheeks.

"Oh, Horatio, you're back." She wondered how long he had been standing there, watching her, listening to her. As he approached her, she turned back to her laptop saying, "I don't usually sing unless I'm alone. Grandma always said I couldn't carry a tune even in a bucket."

"Sweetheart, it sounded fine to me. You obviously enjoy it. That's all that counts."

"Tell that to the choir director at my church," she said wryly.

"What have you been working on?" he asked curiously, looking over her shoulder at the dots on the screen. He was amazed that the seemingly random dots made sense to a reader, let alone someone reading it tactilely. Emily felt his warm hands caressing her shoulders.

"That feels wonderful Horatio. Mmmm … I've been attempting to finish my chemistry chapter. The equations were giving me a little trouble, my program kept crashing from the runovers in the equations so I had to input most of it on the Braille side. I'm sorry," she finished self-consciously. "That was probably more than you wanted to know." She hit the save and waited until the _Please Wait_ message disappeared.

"I think your Braille transcribing is fascinating sweetheart. It seems to me to be a language all its own. You deserve to be proud of what you've accomplished and your work."

It took all her concentration to finish shutting down the laptop. In the meantime, Horatio had been busy loosening her hair from the restraining ponytail. A shiver ran through her as she felt his warm lips on her neck.

"Horatio?"

"Yes, Sweetheart," he murmured against her neck.

"How was your meeting?"

"Productive, however," he straightened up and helped her to her feet, putting his arms around her as he continued, "if you don't mind, the time for talking about work, yours and mine, is over. Ok?"

"Ok," she answered, breathlessly. His blue eyes had darkened and she put her hands on his chest, keeping him from pulling her closer.

"What is it sweetheart?" he asked.

"Ummm … what time did you want to leave for the ballpark?"

"Why sweetheart?" The look in his eyes told her going to a baseball game was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

"I … I like to get there early, to watch batting practice," she explained breathlessly. "And if we have lawn seating, we need to stake out a spot," she continued.

"Affirmative on the lawn seating. Now," Horatio bent his head to nibble on her earlobe, "why don't we go in the other room and I'll show you how very much I missed you this afternoon?" Emily felt her knees go weak and she slid her hands up to his neck.

"Horatio?" His eyes met hers and she trembled at the possessive look in his eyes.

"Thank you for bringing me with you this weekend. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and be alone in my apartment again." She felt him put his arm beneath her knees and then he had picked her up. Looking into her hazel eyes, wide with emotion, he dropped a kiss on her mouth and said softly,

"I know, Emily. Three weeks ago, I thought having this kind of love in my life was not meant for me. Now," he turned and headed for the bedroom where they had put their things, "let me show you just how real this is. I promise, you won't have to be alone again."

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

4

Chapter 21 – **Take Me Out to the Ballgame**

Saturday afternoon, 5:30 pm

Horatio glanced at Emily in the passenger seat. They were waiting for their turn to follow the flagman's waving arms and park in the next available spot in the gravel lot. She had been quiet ever since they had begun the 20 minute drive to the Lee County Sports Complex.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Emily glanced at him, unable to see his expression behind his sunglasses. His voice was quiet and she heard the concern in his voice. Moving her legs restlessly, she shook her head and looked away out the passenger window, her sunglasses hiding her sad eyes from him. Memories of trips here with Kevin had begun to flood her consciousness and she could not close her mind to them. The familiar roads, the sound of the whistles of the flagmen as they directed the cars around the parking area like a crazy slow motion race, and the sight of the practice fields with figures in navy blue and white milling around were bringing back the years she and Kevin came down for a brief respite from the cold and blizzards of March back home.

'Why did she feel like crying?' she wondered, blinking her eyes rapidly to keep the tears from falling. Kevin had been gone from her life for almost four years now. Was it because the last time she had been here with him had been special? She looked down at the baseball glove in her lap and began to absently pick at the laces. The car had stopped and she knew she was going to have some explaining to do. She heard the click of Horatio's seatbelt as he undid the buckle and then felt his hands undoing her buckle, his fingers brushing her bare leg just below the hem of her shorts. She trembled and bit her lip, her right hand curling into a fist and pushing into the pocket of her glove.

"Emily, look at me, please."

She shook her head and bit her lip harder to keep from breaking into tears at the concern in his voice.

Horatio watched her for a minute or so, thinking about their activities this afternoon leading up to her quietness in the car.

_He had carried her into the bedroom, whispering in her ear his desire to make love to her. Emily had nodded her agreement and slowly they had undressed each other. There had been no teasing, no hurried rush. Ocean breezes had fluttered the curtains of the open windows in the room, the salty air gently whispering over their skin. Her soft hands had explored every inch of him, lingering on his muscled arms and thighs. Horatio had returned the favor, caressing her curves and nuzzling his favorite spot on her neck, feeling the warm mass of her hair as it fell against the side of his face. Afterward, she lay with her head on his chest and together they listened to the sound of the waves rolling on the beach, the calls of the sea birds and the occasional happy shouts of the children playing in the sand. Eventually they had showered together, then finished getting ready for the ballgame._

_He had been waiting for her and smiled at the sight of her standing in the doorway, glove in hand. She was wearing a tank top, with the TC logo and a striped game jersey, unbuttoned, with a bright red Twins emblazoned across the front. Her denim shorts showed off plenty of lightly tanned leg and she had put her hair in a ponytail, which she had slipped through the back of her baseball cap. Team logo earrings completed her ensemble. Before he had a chance to comment, she had held up her hand._

"_Horatio, I take my baseball games very seriously. This is my lucky jersey and these are my lucky earrings. I don't go to a game without them. Now, I just need a quick cup of coffee and I'll be ready." He had one ready in the kitchen and brought it to her, receiving a kiss on the cheek and a murmured,_

"_You are way too good to me, you know that? I could so get used to this."_

"_I'd say you deserve to be taken care of, for a change, Emily," he had said, watching as she drank her coffee. She would not meet his eyes and he wondered if it was shyness or if she was hiding something that prevented her from giving him an answer._

That feeling was back and he wanted an answer now.

"Emily!"

She jumped at the harshness of his voice and he watched as she cringed away from him, leaning into the door. The tone of his voice brought back instant memories of the hospital and people asking questions she didn't have answers for.

"No," she whimpered and dropped her glove on the floor, her hands going to her face. Horatio was angry with her again. If she couldn't explain her reaction to herself, she thought miserably, how was she going to explain it to him? She had already heard the impatience in his voice and she couldn't bear seeing the look of disappointment in his eyes.

The car was growing hot with the windows rolled up and he said her name again, trying for a softer tone this time.

"Emily, sweetheart. We need to get out of the car. Or, I can drive us back to the condo and we can sort this out there."

She couldn't deal with being alone with him right now. Emily shook her head no, but continued to refuse to look at him. She heard him move and the door click as he got out. Almost sighing in relief, she slipped off her sunglasses and wiped her eyes, only to feel the door beside her open. She almost fell out into his arms. Horatio was leaning in the car, glad to see the element of surprise had been on his side, and he could see her face, look into her eyes and try to understand what was going on behind the sadness he saw there.

"Come with me Emily." The tone of his voice left no room for argument and she numbly got out of the car, glancing left and right, wondering if she had any chance at running away from him.

"Don't even think about it Emily," he warned softly and she looked up quickly, wondering how he had known what she had been contemplating. His blue eyes were hard and knowing and she cringed back against the car.

"Running away is not going to solve anything, Emily. I want you to tell me what has you so upset." He had stepped closer and she felt the heat of his body in front of her and the warm steel of the car behind her. A dizzy feeling was beginning to come over her and she put a hand on his chest to steady herself.

"Emily, are you alright?" She had suddenly gone pale beneath her tan and he put his hands on her shoulders. "Emily, talk to me. Are you ok?"

"I don't feel good Horatio." She said softly.

"Lieutenant, can I help you with anything?" The voice behind him startled Horatio. He had been concentrating on Emily. Now, he looked around to see a man in a white shirt with the Twins logo on it. His name badge read Charlie. The man smiled and said,

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I recognized you from the news, Lieutenant. Is your wife feeling ill?"

"Yes, she is," Horatio said smoothly, letting the assumption go. "I was just about to get her out of the sun. Maybe there is a place she can lie down for a few minutes?"

"Of course, you can bring her into the medical emergencies room in the stadium. It's cool there and she can lie down. I can get a cart for you and we can ride over." He pulled the walkie talkie from his pocket and called in his request.

Emily had been aware of the conversation and wondered if she heard him correctly.

"Horatio, I'm not …"

"Shhh … sweetheart. Don't worry about it," he soothed. She saw that the worried lines had appeared around his eyes again.

"Here we go." As the cart pulled up, Horatio put his arm around her waist, instructing her calmly, "Ok, put your arm around my neck and it's just a few steps to the cart." Charlie came around to her other side, offering his support and together they helped her over and got her settled. The men hopped on and the cart zipped away, through the gates of the stadium and into the underbelly of the concourse. In minutes, they had arrived at the medical emergencies room.

As Horatio bent over Emily on the cot, Charlie offered,

"I'll get some water for her Lieutenant."

"Thank you," he looked up quickly and nodded, then turned his attention back to the woman lying on the cot. Some of the color was coming back to her cheeks and he sighed in relief. Gently he moved some of the dark golden strands from her face, tucking them behind her ears. Emily felt the tears welling up in her eyes again.

"I'm sorry Horatio," she said softly, "I've messed up again. You planned an evening for us and I've gotten all wimpy and sad." Emily sniffled and tried to look away from his blue eyes.

He put a gentle hand on her cheek and said tenderly,

"Don't look away Emily. I only want you to be happy. Something is bothering you and I … I would like to help you. But you need to tell me before I can do that."

Her hazel eyes had been searching his, they were no longer hard and icy, but warm and worried.

Before she could answer him, there was a light knock at the door and Charlie stood at the door with a bottle of water.

"How is she doing, Lieutenant?" he asked coming into the room.

"Much better, thank you," Horatio looked up and smiled.

"Take all the time she needs." He handed Horatio the water and took his leave, telling them he would check back in 15 minutes or so, should they need anything.

"Let me help you sit up, Emily." He put his arm around her shoulders and helped her into a sitting position. Once he made sure she wasn't dizzy, he uncapped the water and offered it to her. She took several sips, then began to turn the bottle in her hands.

"Emily, why don't you tell me …" he paused, choosing his words carefully as he saw her eyes widen apprehensively. "Can you tell me what upset you in the car?"

Nervously, she took a few more sips of the water.

"Horatio, I … I don't know … why I got upset. I … I don't want you to be angry with me. I just don't … know how to explain it."

"Sweetheart, I'm not angry with you." His thumb was gently caressing her palm. "I understand if you can't remember some details, but I do want you to trust me enough to try to tell me, ok?"

She swallowed and nodded, her eyes never wavering from his.

"I … I … the names of the streets sounded familiar. And … and the signs around the stadium. I started thinking about the last time I was down here with Kevin."

"What did you remember?" he asked gently.

"Sadness," she said. "But, I … I don't know why I felt like that, Horatio. She was squeezing his fingers in agitation. "I … I don't remember anything … anything bad happening. But it must have, right? … Why else would … would … wouldn't I remember?"

"Perhaps, you were feeling sad because … Kevin wasn't here with you today?" he asked carefully, not sure he wanted to know the answer. He could not keep the pain from his eyes and she recognized it instantly.

"Oh, no Horatio. I … I stopped crying for him 3 years ago. We … we were fighting a lot … that … that last year. I … I don't know how much longer we would have been together … I … I felt so guilty about that … after he died."

Tenderly, he put his other hand over hers, as he said softly, "Emily, maybe that's why you felt sad." She shook her head, glancing away from him. When she looked into his eyes again, he saw the sadness had returned to those beautiful hazel eyes.

"Horatio, I tried … tried so hard … to … to make it … work. He had become so … distant. After our trip … down to Florida … it got worse. I … I can't remember … but … something must have … happened down here. I just can't … remember … I wish I could … I'm sorry." She finished softly, looking away from him. She felt him move closer and then his hand was beneath her chin, turning her to face him once more. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. He caught his breath.

"Emily, you have nothing to be sorry for. Give yourself some time. I know it's frustrating for you, but please remember that I'm here for you. I'll listen whenever you need to talk, ok?" She nodded wordlessly, a tear escaping from the corner of one eye.

He looked at her for a long moment, then she felt his warm mouth gently kissing away the tear. Horatio felt her shudder and he put his arm around her, encouraging her to rest her head on his shoulder.

"That's my girl. Now, take a few deep breaths and when you feel better, we'll go find our seats and enjoy the ballgame." She nodded, giving him a weak smile. She closed her eyes and relaxed against him.

When Charlie lightly knocked on the door a short while later, he was glad to see her sitting up and talking.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Mrs. Caine." He saw a light blush rise in her cheeks. Ah, newlyweds, he thought.

"Thank you for all your help," she said, "I feel much better. I'm sorry I was such a bother."

"No trouble, ma'am." Charlie answered sunnily. "Part of the job. I hope you enjoy the game tonight. Looks like it'll be a good match-up. And I see by your jersey, you've been a fan for some time. Looking forward to seeing your favorite player tonight – playing for the other team, of course?"

"Oh, yes," she turned to Horatio. "This is going to be a great game!" The dimple appeared and deepened in her cheek.

"Who are you going to cheer for?" Horatio asked curiously.

"The Twins, of course," Emily answered, with a smirk. "And maybe just a little bit for a certain first baseman with a very long last name."

Charlie insisted on showing them to their seats, and once more wished them well, adding that he hoped they would stop by again while the team was at the Lee County Stadium. Emily had chosen a spot close to the wall, bordering right field. Horatio went to get beverages and a snack, returning to find her deep in conversation with a couple sitting near them, who happened to be from a small town near her home on the North Shore. She introduced Horatio and they talked about baseball, the team's chances, and goings on in Minnesota. He watched her as she talked. She looked happy as she talked about home, and he wondered if she was homesick.

By the beginning of the sixth inning, the sun was on its way below the horizon and he saw her shiver. Emily soon found herself between his legs, her back resting against his chest. He looped his arms around her, whispering in her ear,

"I realize why you wanted these seats. I agree sweetheart." She leaned her head back to look up at him.

"Are you having a good time Horatio?" she asked, "I know I tend to get carried away. I hope you haven't been too bored."

"No sweetheart, I've enjoyed the game and watching you. I think I've gotten a glimpse of your life before you came to Miami. I'm intrigued." He kissed the sensitive spot on her neck and felt her tremble in his arms.

"There's going to be fireworks after the game, you know."

"Indeed there are, sweetheart." Horatio watched in delight as she blushed.

TBC

4


	22. Chapter 22

5

Chapter 22 – **The Space Shuttle?**

Saturday, 10:30 pm

"I suppose we should get going, sweetheart." Horatio's voice was almost a whisper in her ear.

Emily nodded, reluctant to leave the warmth of his arms. The fireworks had ended fifteen minutes ago, but they had remained seated, watching as the crowds dispersed.

"You okay, Emily?" his soft voice tickled her ear.

"Yes." She moved her head so it rested against his shoulder and she could see his face. "I'm just so comfortable here."

"I know sweetheart." She saw him smile. "But there is a fireplace at the condo. We could make a fire, have a glass of wine and get comfortable all over again." He bent his head and kissed her neck.

"Mmmm … that sounds nice, Horatio."

"It's a date. Come on, Emily."

She felt his arms loosen around her and she scooted forward. Once he was standing, Horatio reached down and helped her up, keeping her hand in his as they left the seating area.

They were wandering towards the exit when they saw a familiar face.

"Hey Lieutenant. Did you and your wife enjoy the game?"

"Very much, thank you Charlie."

"Come back and see us again before the season starts." He waved his hand and moved off into the concourse. Horatio looked at Emily, noting the light blush on her face in the bright lights.

Arriving at his car, he unlocked her door, but prevented her from getting inside. Once again, Emily found herself between the car and his body. Putting her hands on his chest, she said lightly,

"Can't wait until we get back to the condo, Lieutenant?"

"Actually, I'm curious about something, Emily."

She looked at him warily, "Yes?"

"I noticed you blushed when Charlie assumed you were my wife. I was just wondering why the idea of being my wife made you uncomfortable." She noticed how serious his expression had become and for once Emily was at a loss for words.

"That's not fair, Horatio," she murmured, stalling for time.

"How so? You don't want to be married again?" His blue eyes had narrowed as he looked at her.

"Yes, … no! I'm not sure," she finished confusedly, sure she would never forget the hurt look that flashed in his eyes before he quickly looked away.

"It wasn't a multiple choice question," he murmured.

"Horatio," she tried for a light tone, "isn't there an amendment I can plead not to incriminate myself?"

One look at his almost grim expression told her she was not going to wiggle out of this one. With a sigh, Emily ticked her choices off on her fingers as she said,

"A. Yes, I do want to be married again someday. B. No, the idea of being your wife in particular doesn't make me uncomfortable, I just don't feel comfortable with people thinking something about me that's not true at the present time. C. I don't know how I'm supposed to answer this question. If I say Yes, you might think I'm one of those women who only wants a big ring on her finger, and you'll run as fast as you can in the other direction. And if I say No, I'll hurt you – which I did." She looked away from him, biting her lower lip.

Horatio was silent for a minute, thinking over what she had said, while he watched her gaze out into the emptying parking lot. She heard his soft voice near her ear,

"You're right Emily. That was unfair. I'm sorry." Still she didn't look at him.

"Friends?" he asked hesitantly.

Emily heard the uncertainty in his voice and looked at him. The vulnerability in those blue eyes almost dissolved her resolve to keep her distance from him – at least while she tried to figure out her feelings about this. She nodded, her eyes still wary.

"Friends," she said softly, before quickly turning to slip out of his hold and slide into the car. Emily watched him from beneath lowered lashes as he went around the car and slid into the drivers seat. Horatio reached for her hand and squeezed her fingers. The familiar gesture brought tears to her eyes and she blinked them away quickly. As Horatio started up the car, she leaned back and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost before they left the parking lot.

"Here we are sleeping beauty. Time to wake up." The soft voice was near her ear and Emily slowly opened her eyes, coming face to face with Horatio. Some of his uncertainty was still reflected in those blue eyes and it took all her resolve not to lean forward just a bit and kiss him. He helped her with her seatbelt, and quickly exited the car, coming around to open her door and help her out. They went up to the condo in silence, Emily fleeing to the bedroom almost as soon as they arrived inside.

Emily paced around the room. She needed to think. Realizing she couldn't stay in the bedroom the rest of the evening, she looked around for inspiration. Horatio would never let her go for a walk, but, … her eyes spied her swimsuit, maybe she could escape to a dip in the pool. Emily was just emerging from the bedroom, beach towel in hand, when Horatio's cell chirped. She was saved from giving him an explanation as he looked to see who was calling. As she swept up the pass card to the pool, he held up a hand to stop her as he answered,

"Grandma Estin, it's nice to speak to you. I hope everything is alright?" His voice betrayed none of the turmoil he was feeling at the moment. Running his hand through his hair in agitation, he moved to intercept Emily from her path to the door.

"Yes, it was a good game, Grandma Estin. It's always a good game when the home team wins. Would you like to speak to Emily? Here she is," and he handed Emily the phone, stopping her in her tracks.

"Hello Grandma," Emily was amazed she could sound so calm, while she threw Horatio a furious glance. "I was just about to go for a swim." She smiled at her grandmother's response.

"You know me too well. Goodnight Grandma, love you too. Here's Horatio." And she handed him the phone, making her escape out the door, before he had a chance to say or do anything further. Walking quickly out to the pool area, she knew she was going to have to face him later, but for now, the calm water of the pool beckoned her. She could only hope Grandma could keep him on the phone long enough for him to calm down. The sign by the pool told her she had roughly an hour to swim before the night watch would be by to lock the gate. Emily slipped out of her cover up and went to the side of the pool. A quick dip of her toe told her it had warmed up nicely during the day and she went to the deep end, neatly slicing into the water with a low dive. Surfacing, she began to do a slow crawl back and forth the length of the pool.

Upstairs, Horatio had watched the door close behind Emily.

"So Lieutenant, I've got my travel plans all made and I will be seeing you on Wednesday. My flight gets in at 5:00. I'm assuming someone will be able to meet me at the airport?"

"I'm sorry, Grandma Estin, what was that?" Horatio was so distracted he hadn't been paying attention. He ran his hand through his hair yet again.

"I asked if someone would be able to meet me at the airport?"

"Of course, Grandma Estin. I'm sure either myself or Emily will be able to meet you."

"_Oh, I hope you can come together, Horatio. I love my granddaughter dearly, but I would like to see my 81__st__ birthday and she is a bit of a crazy driver. The last time she drove me to an appointment in the Cities, I needed seasick pills just to survive the drive down. Not to mention the fact that I can barely get myself in and out of that car of hers." _She paused. "_Did I mention I was arriving on the space shuttle?"_

Horatio barely heard he, he was pacing around the room, like a caged animal.

"I'm sure you'll have a comfortable flight," he replied distractedly.

"Okay, young man, out with it." That caught him by surprise.

"I … I'm sorry, Grandma Estin?"

"Horatio, it is a Saturday night. You and my granddaughter snuck away for a romantic weekend and now she is swimming downstairs in the pool – alone. Now, I was young once and I am quite sure, given what I know about you, that the two of you should be wrapped up in each others arms about now, quite oblivious to anything like a cell phone chirping. So, why don't you stop pacing, sit down and tell me what happened that sent my granddaughter running to the water – again."

"Well, at least she didn't go out the window this time," Horatio sighed and sat down, once more running his hand through his hair. He heard Grandma chuckle.

"That's the spirit, Horatio. Now tell me what happened. Emily will be fine for the next 30 minutes."

Horatio found himself telling Grandma Estin about what happened on the way to the ballgame and Emily's frustration about being upset and unable to understand why. He paused, wondering how much more he should tell her.

"I sense there is more, Lieutenant…" He sighed.

"Yes, … it's kind of silly really, Grandma Estin."

"Well, Horatio, it's been my experience that sometimes the little silly things are really important. But, I shouldn't have to tell you that. I'm sure you see that in your line of work all the time."

"You're right." Horatio sighed again, feeling calmer than he had been, but still very worried about Emily. "Someone assumed we were married and I let it go. It seemed easier at the time than trying to explain." He ran his hand through his hair again. "Later when I asked Emily why she seemed uncomfortable about someone thinking of her as my wife, she didn't want to answer. I pushed and she answered." He stopped abruptly.

"I'd hazard a guess it wasn't the answer you wanted to hear," Grandma Estin remarked.

"Something like that." Horatio sighed again.

Emily sliced neatly through the water. She had been swimming for almost 30 minutes and she was beginning to feel it in her arms and legs. Except for a few nervous thoughts about alligators and snakes in the pool, she had managed to keep her mind on the calming sounds of the water as it lapped against the sides of the pool, or splashed off her foot as she floated on her back. Reluctantly she let her thoughts drift to the aggravating red-haired man upstairs. Emily knew she would never forget the look of hurt in those blue eyes when she said no. He really hadn't given her a chance to explain why – and it was hardly the type of question that needed an explanation, under normal circumstances. But these hadn't been normal circumstances and it wasn't like it was a proposal. She smiled in spite of herself, wondering what a real proposal from Horatio would be like. Idly, she looked up at the stars, remembering the night he kissed her under them. Probably incredibly romantic, she thought, sighing softly.

What she needed to explain to him was anything but romantic however. Emily flipped over onto her stomach and dove down, swimming the length of the pool underwater. She surfaced and caught her breath then dove again.

Horatio said good night to Grandma Estin and laid the phone on the coffee table. He looked at his watch. He had 20 minutes before the pool closed. Ten minutes later he took one last look around the condo, picked up the travel mug with freshly brewed coffee, an extra beach towel and headed down to the pool to bring a peace offering to Emily. As he approached the pool area, his breath began to come a little faster. There was no one in the pool. Entering the gate, he saw Emily's beach towel, flip flops and cover up on a chair. The pool was in shadows and he walked closer to the edge for a better look and trying to squash the sick feeling in his stomach.

Then he saw her. At first, he thought his worst fears were realized when he saw her body at the bottom of the pool. Then as he watched, she began swimming the length of the pool, her long hair streaming behind her. Horatio followed her along the edge of the pool, so he would be in front of her when she surfaced.

Giving one last kick, Emily broke through the water and instinctively reached for the edge of the pool. She never immediately opened her eyes, waiting 5 seconds or so to get the water off her face. When she opened them, she found herself looking up at Horatio. He hadn't been able to hide the relief in his blue eyes. Emily recognized it and said softly,

"Did you come down to keep me safe from alligators and snakes, Lieutenant?"

"You scared me Emily." He stopped, surprised by the admission. "Seems like your habits are rubbing off on me," he murmured, still not breaking his gaze from hers.

"I didn't mean to," was all she could think of to say to him. She had been ready for his anger, or his calm logical arguments, but this vulnerability took her completely by surprise. She shivered and he noticed.

"You're chilled Emily. Why don't you come out and warm up? I've brought you something to sip on while you drip off." She saw the whiteness of his teeth as she wiggled her nose, sniffing the air like a rabbit smelling danger.

"You have coffee!" He nodded and held the mug out in front of him.

"But only if you come out of the pool."

"Is that a bribe Lieutenant?" she asked taking a few strokes over to the ladder.

"Kind of." He set the coffee on the table and reached for her beach towel, bringing it to wrap around her as she stepped onto the cement of the patio.

Instead of letting go of the towel, Horatio gently began to rub her shoulders, working his way down her arms and back up from her waist. Emily stood still as she reveled in his tender touch. She shivered and it had nothing to do with cold when his hands slid over her curves, lingering there briefly before traveling up to her neck and into her hair. She felt him blotting her hair with the towel. Wide-eyed, she watched as he reached behind him and came back with a second towel, which he carefully wrapped around her. They moved over to the table, and sat down. Emily shrugged into her cover-up, then reached for her coffee. After taking a healthy sip, she looked across the table at him and said,

"Horatio I never meant to hurt you. I wasn't thinking about what happened to Marisol when I said people thinking I was your wife made me uncomfortable. I need to sort out the mess my own married life ended in before I can think of marriage again." She paused, afraid that maybe she had said too much. Reaching for his hand across the table she asked him,

"Do you understand, lover? I don't want any shadows from my past hurting you. I've already let them hurt me too much." He squeezed her fingers and nodded, not sure he could trust his voice. Now it was her turn to be relieved.

"Good," she smiled. They sat there holding hands, as she sipped her coffee, listening to the night sounds and the muted sounds of the waves rolling onto the beach not far away. They were still sitting there 5 minutes later when the night watchman stopped by, telling them he had to lock up for the night.


End file.
